ive  Ho 


»•«•••''•** 


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FRENCH    ENTERPRISE    IN   AFRICA 
The  Exploration  of  the  Niger 


LIEUTENANT  HOURST. 


French  Enterprise 
IN   Africa 

THE    PERSONAL    NARRATIVE    OF  LIEUT.  HOURST 


i\ 


OF    HIS 


Exploration  of  the   Niger 


Translated  by 

Mrs.  ARTHUR    BELL  (N.  D'Anvers) 

AUTHOR    OF   'the   ELEMENTARY    HISTORY   OF   ART,'   *  THE    SCIENCE   LADDERS,'   ETC. 


If^lTH    190   ILLUSTRATIONS   yiND   MAP 


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NEW    YORK:    E.    P.    BUTTON    &    CO. 

LONDON:    CHAPMAN    &    HALL,    Ld. 
1899 

♦[////  rights  reserved '\ 


JDT-Sf7 


TRANSLATOR'S    NOTE 

The  appearance  of  this  brightly-written  record  of  an 
adventurous  voyage  down  the  Niger,  from  Timbuktu  to 
the  sea,  such  as  has  never  before  been  accompHshed,  is 
just  now  pecuHarly  opportune,  when  attention  is  so  much 
concentrated  on  the  efforts  of  the  French  to  extend  their 
influence  in  Africa,  especially  in  the  Western  Sudan. 

The  author  of  the  Exploration  of  the  Niger  is,  of  course, 
greatly  prejudiced  against  England,  and  his  jealous  hostility 
to  those  he  habitually  calls  "  our  rivals  "  peeps  out  at  every 
turn,  but  for  all  that  the  work  he  has  done  is  good  and 
valuable  work,  adding  much  to  the  knowledge  of  the 
Niger  itself,  its  basin,  and  the  various  tribes  occupying  the 
riverside  districts.  It  is  remarkable,  that  in  spite  of  much 
opposition  Lieutenant  Hourst  managed  to  keep  the  peace 
with  the  natives  from  the  first  start  from  Timbuktu  to 
the  arrival  at  Bussa.  Whilst  the  footprints  of  too  many 
of  his  predecessors  were  marked  in  blood,  he  and  his  party 
passed  by  without  the  loss  of  a  single  life,  and  in  this  most 
noteworthy  peculiarity  of  his  journey,  the  brave  and  patient 
young  leader  may  claim  to  rank  even  with  that  great 
pioneer  of  African  discovery,  David  Livingstone. 

True  the  Lieutenant  owed  the  good   relations  he  was 

M243409 


viii  TRANSLATOR'S    NOTE 

able  to  maintain  with  the  chiefs  to  a  fiction,  for  acting  on 
the  advice  of  a  certain  Bechir  Uld  Mbirikat,  a  native  of 
Twat,  whom  he  had  met  at  Timbuktu,  he  passed  himself 
off  as  the  nephew  of  Dr.  Barth,  the  great  German  traveller, 
who  had  everywhere  won  the  love  and  respect  of  the 
people  with  whom  he  was  brought  in  contact.  Assuming 
the  name  of  Abdul  Kerim,  or  the  Servant  of  the  Most 
High,  the  Frenchman  solved  all  the  difficulties  which 
threatened  to  stop  his  progress  by  the  simple  assertion 
that  he  was  the  nephew  of  Abdul  Kerim,  as  Barth  was 
and  still  is  called  in  the  Sudan.  "  I  was  thus  able,"  says 
Abdul  Kerim,  "to  emerge  safely  from  every  situation, 
however  embarrassing,"  explaining  that  the  natives  do  not 
distinguish  between  different  European  nationalities,  but 
simply  class  all  together  as  "  the  whites." 

Apart  from  this  initial  falsehood,  of  which  the  Lieutenant 
does  not  seem  to  be  in  the  least  ashamed,  his  dealings  with 
the  natives  were  marked  by  perfect  straightforwardness ; 
every  promise,  however  trivial,  made  to  one  of  them  he 
faithfully  performed,  whilst  from  the  officers  under  him 
and  the  coolies  in  his  service  he  won  the  utmost  devotion 
and  love.  He  deserves  indeed  very  great  credit  for  the 
ever  ready  tact  with  which  he  turned  aside  rather  than 
met  the  difficulties  assailing  him  at  every  turn,  and  Dr. 
Barth  would  have  had  no  cause  to  be  ashamed  of  his 
relative  if  the  young  gentleman  had  indeed  been  his 
nephew. 

Lieutenant  Hourst's  chapter  on  the  much  misjudged 
Tuaregs  is  especially  interesting,  and,  most  noteworthy  fact, 
full  of  hope  for  the  future.  He  attributes  their  many 
excellent   qualities   to    their   reverence   for   their    women. 


TRANSLATOR'S    NOTE  ix 

The  husband  of  one  wife  only,  the  Tuareg  warrior  looks 
up  to  that  wife  with  something  of  the  chivalrous 
devotion  of  the  knights  of  the  Middle  Ages,  presenting  in 
this  respect  a  very  marked  contrast  to  his  Mahommedan 
neighbours,  of  whom,  by  the  way,  the  Frenchman  has  the 
lowest  possible  opinion  ;  charging  them  with  a  total  dis- 
regard of  morality,  beneath  the  cloak  of  an  assumed  religious 
zeal.  On  the  so-called  marabouts  he  is  especially  sev^ere, 
giving  many  instances  of  the  evil  influence  they  exercise 
over  the  simple-minded  natives. 

It  would  be  unfair  to  the  author  to  spoil  the  interest  of 
his  narrative  by  any  further  revelations  of  its  contents  ; 
suffice  it  to  add,  that  in  spite  of  his  all  too-evident  bias 
against  the  English,  he  is  unable  to  deny  that  he  was 
kindly  treated  by  the  individual  members  of  the  Royal 
Niger  Company,  with  whom  he  came  in  contact.  His 
only  wish,  he  naively  remarks,  is  that  some  of  the  warm- 
hearted men  who  welcomed  him  back  to  civilization  had 
belonged  to  his  own  nationality.  There  is  something  truly 
pathetic  in  the  plea  with  which  the  courageous  young 
explorer  winds  up  his  record  of  his  year  of  arduous  work, 
and  yet  more  arduous  waiting,  hoping  against  hope  for 
the  instructions  from  home  which  never  came.  He  knows, 
he  says,  that  all  the  countries  suitable  for  colonization — 
Australia  was  the  last  of  them — are  already  occupied  by 
"  our  rivals,"  but  there  is  still  room,  he  thinks,  for  French 
"colonies  of  exploration,"  where  talented  young  men, 
unable  to  find  a  career  in  their  native  country,  may 
usefully  employ  their  energies  in  turning  the  natural 
wealth  of  French  acquisitions  to  account.  That  is  all  he 
hopes  for ;    but   he  cannot   help    adding  a   few   touching 


X  TRANSLATOR'S    NOTE 

words  of  appeal  to  the  French  colonial  authorities,  asking 
them  to  cease  from  sending  out  expeditions  only  to 
abandon  them  to  their  fate,  taking  no  notice  of  their 
requests  for  instructions  or  for  help. 

Reading  between  the  lines  of  this  record  of  a  brave 
struggle  against  terrible  odds,  it  is  only  too  easy  to  realize 
that  the  policy  of  prevarication  of  the  French  Government 
in  all  matters  colonial  is  a  well-considered  policy,  as  astute 
as  it  is  unfair,  alike  to  the  gallant  officers  in  command  of 
abortive  exploring  expeditions  as  to  the  "rivals"  so 
cordially  disliked. 

Nancy  Bell. 

Southbourne-on-Sea^ 
October  1898. 


VVASHKKVVOMEN    OF    SAY. 


CONTENTS 


CHAP. 

translator's  note. 

i.  an  abortive  start 

ii.  from  kayes  to  timbuktu 

iii.  from  timbuktu  to  tosaye 

iv.  from  tosaye  to  fafa 

v.  the  tuaregs 

vi.  from  fafa  to  say 

vii.  stay  at  say 

viii.  mistakes  and  false  news 

ix.  from  say  to  bussa 

x.  from    bussa  to   the   sea; 

VOYAGE 
EPILOGUE 
INDEX 


CONCLUSION     OF     OUR 


PAGE 

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151 

199 

250 

295 
356 
403 

446 
498 
513 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 


LIEUTENANT   HOURST 

WASHERWOMEN   OF  SAY  . 

MARKET   PLACE,    ST.    LOUIS 

NATIVES   OF  THE  BANKS  OF  THE  SENEGAL 

NAVAL   ENSIGN   BAUDRY   . 

THE   PORT   OF  DAKAR 

PART  OF  THE   DAKAR   ST.    LOUIS  LINE   . 

RAILWAY   BUFFET   AT  TIVIWANE 

THE   QUAY   AT   ST.    LOUIS 

A  STREET   IN   ST.    LOUIS  . 

BUBAKAR-SINGO    .... 

THE   COOLIES   ENGAGED  AT  ST.    LOUIS    . 

THE    'BRIERE   DE   l'ISLE' 

THE   MARKET-PLACE  AT  ST.    LOUIS 

GOVERNMENT  HOUSE,    KAYES       . 

ON   THE   SENEGAL 

EN    ROUTE  .... 

LEFEBVRE   CARTS   UNHARNESSED 

LOADING  OUR  CONVOY     . 

LIEUTENANT    BLUZET 

CROSSING   A   MARIGOT       . 

WE  ALL    HAVE  TO   RUSH  TO  THE   RESCUE 

OUR   TETHERED    MULES     . 

DOCTOR   TABURET 

ARRIVAL  AT   KOLIKORO   . 

BANKS   OF    THE    RIVER  AT   KOLIKORO      . 

REPAIRING   THE    'AUBE' 

TIGHTENING  THE   BOLTS  OF  THE    *  DAVOUST ' 

PROCESSION   OF  BOYS   AFTER  CIRCUMCISION 

THE   SACRED   BAOBAB  OF  KOLIKORO 

THE   FLEET  OF   MY  EXPEDITION 

DIGUI    AND   THE  COOLIES  OF  THE   *  JULES   DAVOUST" 

MADEMBA  .... 

YAKAR^      ..... 

LARGE   NIGER  CANOES       . 

THE  TOMB  OF   HAMET  BECKAY  AT  SAREDINA 

SARAFERE  .... 

A   MOSQUE  AT  TIMBUKTU 


PAGE 

Frontispiece 


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LIST   OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 


FATHER   HACQUART 

WE   LEAVE    KABARA 

AT  TIMBUKTU 

DROVE   OF   OXEN  . 

THE    'AUBE'   and    her    CREW 

INTERVIEW   WITPI   ALUATTA 

A   LITTLE   SLAVE  GIRL  OF   RHERGO 

TUAREGS   AND   SHERIFFS   AT    RHERGO      . 

OUR    PALAVER   AT    RHERGO 

ARRIVAL  AT   THE  VILLAGE   OF    RHERGO 

TRADERS  AT   RHERGO 

SO-CALLED   SHERIFFS  OF   RHERGO 

THE    *  DAVOUST  '   AT  ANCHOR   OFF   RHERGO 

POLITICAL  ANXIETIES 

SAKHAUI'S  ENVOYS 

OUR  coolies'   CAMP   AT  ZARHOI 

OUR  BICYCLE  SUZANNE  AMONGST  THE  TUAREGS 

OUR   PALAVER  AT  SAKHIB's   CAMP 

THE  VILLAGE   OF   GUNGI 

OUR  PEOPLE   SHELLING   OUR    RICE   AT   GUNGI 

sheriff's   HOUSE  AT  GUNGI 

WEAVERS   AT   GUNGI 

FATHER  HACQUART  AND   HIS   LITTLE   FRIEND 

LITTLE   NEGROES  AT  EGUEDECHE 

TAKING  ASTRONOMICAL  OBSERVATIONS. 

TOSAYE,    WITH   THE   BAROR   AND   CHABAR   ROCKS 

THE   ROCK   BAROR  AT  TOSAYE     . 

THE   TADEMEKET  ON   A   DUNE   ON    THE   BANKS  OF  THE    NIGER 

PANORAMA  OF  GAO  ON   THE  SITE   OF   THE   ANCIENT   GARO 

PALAVER  AT   GAO  ..... 

BORNU         ....... 

BABA,   WITH  THE   ROCKS   ABOVE   ANSONGO 

THE  KEL  ES  SUK  OF  ANSONGO   REFUSE  TO   SUPPLY   US   WITH    GUIDES 

DISTRIBUTION   OF  PRESENTS   TO  THE  TUAREGS   AT   BUR£ 

THE    'DANTEC'   EXPLORING   THE   PASS 

bur6  .... 

CANOES  AT  BURE 

FLOCKS  AND  HERDS  AT  BUr6   . 

GUIDES  GIVEN  TO  US  BY  IDRIS  . 

PALAVER  WITH  DJAMARATA 

TUAREGS  .... 

AN  AMRI  SHEPHERD 

TUAREGS  .... 

A  GROUP  OF  TUAREGS   . 

TUAREGS  .  .  .  . 

A  TUAREG  WOMAN 

A  TUAREG   IN   HIS   NATIONAL  COSTUME 

TUAREGS   .  .  .  .  , 

TUAREG  HORSEMAN 


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LIST   OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 


XV 


MOORS  AND  TUAREGS 

A  YOUNG  TUAREG 

TUAREGS  . 

AN  AFRICAN  CAMEL 

AN  ISOLATED  TREE  AT  FAFA 

FAFA 

KARU    WITH    MILLET    GRANARIES 

THE   LABEZENGA  RAPIDS. 

THE    'AUBE'    in    THE    RAPIDS 

THE    'AUBE'    in   THE   LAST   LABEZENGA   RAPID, 

LOOKING    UP-STREAM    FROM    KATUGU       . 

THE  CHIEF   OF  AYURU      . 

AN    ISLAND    BETWEEN   AYURU    AND    KEXDADJI 

A   ROCKY   HILL   NEAR   KENDADJI 

FARCA 

OUR   SINDER   GUIDES 

AT  SANSAN-HAUSSA 

THE   BOBO   RAPIDS 

VIEW  OF  SAY 

CANOES   AT   SAY     . 

OUR   GUIDES'   CANOE 

THE    'AUBE'   AT   FORT  ARCHINARD 

VIEW   OF    OUR   ISLAND   AND   OF   THE   SMALL   ARM    OF   THE    RIVER 

FORT  ARCHINARD 

FORT  ARCHINARD 

OSMAN 

PULLO   KHALIFA  . 

A  TYPICAL   KURTEYE 

THE   ARABU 

A     FEMALE     TUAREG     BLACKSMITH     IN     THE    SERVICE     OF 

GALADIO  .... 

REPAIRING   THE    '  AUBE  ' 
OUR   MARKET  AT  FORT  ARCHINARD 
MARKET  AT  FORT  ARCHINARD    . 
A  YOUNG  GIRL  OF  SAY     . 

TYPICAL   NATIVES  AT   THE   FORT  ARCHINARD 
WOMEN    OF   SAY     .... 
FORT   ARCHINARD 

OUR  COOLIES  AT  THEIR  TOILETTE 
A  WOMAN   OF  SAY 
A   NATIVE  WOMAN    WITH   GOITRE 
A  TOWER  OF   FORT  ARCHINARD  . 

THE  MEMBERS   OF  THE   EXPEDITION   AT   FORT  ARCHINARD 
OUR  QUICK-FIRING   GUN 
NATIVES   OF  SAY  . 
TALIBIA     .... 
TALIBIA     .... 
GALADIO'S   GRANDSON 
THE    'DAVOUST'    in    HER   DRY   DOCK 


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LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 


TYPICAL   MARKET   WOMEN 

THE   MARKET   AT  FORT  ARCHINARD 

A  WOMAN   OF   SAY 

ENVOYS    FROM   THE  CHIEF  OF   KIBTACH 

A   COBBLER   OF    MOSSI 

FORT   ARCHINARD 

A   MARKET  WOMAN 

A   FULAH   WOMAN 

LAUNCHING  OF   THE    '  AUBE '   AT   SAY 

TAYORO  AND   MODI  BO   KONNA      . 

A  YOUNG  GIRL  AT   FORT   ARCHINARD 
THE   BURNING   OF   FORT   ARCHINARD 

A  YOUNG   KURTEYE 

NATIVES  OF   MALALI 

ROCKY   BANKS  ABOVE   KOMPA       . 

A   FOREST  ON  THE   BANKS  OF  THE  NIGER 

THE   BANKS  OF  THE   NIGER    NEAR   KOMPA 

OUR   COOLIES  WASHING   THEIR   CLOTHES 

THE   MARIGOT  OR  CREEK   OF   TENDA 

GIRRIS         .... 

GIRRIS   CANOES      . 

OUR   GUIDE  AMADU 

DJIDJIMA 

THE   NIGER   BELOW   RUPIA 

A   PALAVER 

THE   SO-CALLED   NIGRITIAN,    THE   OLD 

VIEW  OF   BUSSA     . 

NATIVES   OF   BUSSA 

CANOES  AT   BUSSA 

WOMEN   OF   BUSSA 

WOMEN   OF   BUSSA 

TRUMPETERS   OF   BUSSA    . 

WOMEN    OF   BUSSA 

AMONG   THE   RAPIDS 

THE    RAPIDS    BELOW   BUSSA 

AMONG   THE    RAPIDS 

GEBA  .... 

RABBA         .... 

IGGA  .... 

MOUNT    RENNEL   ABOVE   LOKODJA 

NATIVES   OF    AFRICA 

MEDAL     OF     THE     FRENCH     SOCIETY     FOR     THE      ADVANCEMENT 

SCIENCE  ..... 

MEDAL  OF  THE    '  SOCIETE   d' ALLIANCE   FRAN9AISE' 
MEDAL  OF  THE  LYONS   GEOGRAPHICAL   SOCIETY 
MEDAL   OF  THE   MARSEILLES   GEOGRAPHICAL   SOCIETY 
MEDAL  OF  THE  CHER  GEOGRAPHICAL   SOCIETY 
NATIVES   OF   SANSAN   HAUSSA 
GRAND   MEDAL  OF  THE   PARIS   SOCIETY   OF   COMMERCIAL  GEOGRAPHY 


PONTOON   OF  YOLA 


MARKET   PLACE,    ST.    LOUIS. 


THE  EXPLORATION  OF  THE  NIGER 


CHAPTER    I 


AN    ABORTIVE   START 

Dr.  Henry  Barth,  the  greatest  traveller  of  modern 
times,  our  illustrious  predecessor  on  the  Niger,  was  a 
prisoner  at  Massenya.  Loaded  with  chains,  and  in  hourly 
expectation  of  death,  he  was  still  devoted  to  his  work, 
and  had  the  superb  courage  to  write — "  The  best  way  of 
winning  the  blacks  from  their  barbarism  is  to  create  centres 
on  the  great  rivers.  The  civilizing  influence  will  then 
spread  naturally,  following  the  water-highways." 

In  his  generous  dream,  which  might  be  his  last,  he 
consoled  himself  in  thinking  that  soon  the  ideas  of  tolerance 
and  progress  would  advance  by  the  river-roads,  by  the 
'*  moving  paths,"'  as  he  called  them,  to  the  very  heart  of 


2  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE    NIGER 

the  dark  continent.  Perhaps  the  shedding  of  his  blood 
might  then  further  the  cause  of  that  humanity  of  which  he 
was  the  apostle. 

More  than  any  other,  perhaps,  the  Niger  district  lends 
itself  to  this  idea  of  Dr.  Earth's.  There  it  is,  on  the 
banks  of  the  river,  fertilized  by  timely  inundations,  that 
life  appears  to  be  concentrated.  It  is  by  following  the 
streams  and  rivers,  and  crossing  the  lakes,  that  the  forward 
march  must  proceed.  The  Niger,  with  its  affluents  and  its 
lacustrine  systems,  still  partially  unknown,  gives,  even 
when  only  seen  on  the  map,  the  impression  of  an  organ- 
ism complete  in  itself.  As  in  the  human  body,  the  blood- 
vessels and  the  nerves  carry  the  life  and  transmit  the  will 
of  their  owner,  so  does  a  mighty  river  with  its  infinite 
ramifications,  seem  to  convey  to  the  remote  confines  of 
a  continent,  commerce,  civilization,  and  those  ideas  of 
tolerance  and  of  progress  which  are  the  very  life  and  soul 
of  a  country. 

To  utilize  this  gigantic  artery — and  this  is  a  task 
which  we  Frenchmen  have  undertaken,  for,  at  the  demand 
of  France,  these  countries  have  been  characterized  as 
wider  French  influence — it  was  necessary  first  of  all  to 
know  it. 

It  is  to  this  task  we  have  devoted  ourselves,  my  com- 
panions and  I.  Providence  has  aided  us.  Providence  has 
willed  our  success,  in  spite  of  difficulties  of  every  kind. 
We  had  the  great  joy  of  returning  with  ranks  unbroken, 
all  safe  and  sound.  Yet  more  rare,  our  journey  did  not 
cost  a  single  human  life,  not  even  amongst  those  who  were 
hostile  to  us  and  opposed  our  passage. 

This  I  consider  the  greatest  honour  of  the  expedition  of 
which  I  was  in  command. 

Moreover,  logic  as  well  as  humanity  demanded  that  we 
should,  in  every  case,  as  far  as  possible  pursue  a  pacific  policy. 


AN   ABORTIVE    START  3 

What  could  men,  whether  negroes  or  others,  think  of  the 
civilization  we  endeavour  to  introduce  amongst  them,  if  its 
first  benefits  are  volleys  of  bullets,  blood-shed — in  a  word, 
war? 

The  reader  must  not,  however,  misunderstand  me.  It 
has  often  been  necessary,  it  will  still  long  be  necessary, 
even  in  conformity  with  our  most  honourable  and  elevated 
sentiments,  to  have  recourse  in  certain  cases  to  war,  to 
enforce  our  ideas  of  justice.  In  the  present  state  of 
barbarism  of  African  races,  especially  where  the  false 
civilization  of  Islam  has  penetrated,  the  moral  elevation 
of  the  lower  classes  is  injurious  to  the  material  interests 
of  directors,  chiefs,  sorcerers,  or  marabouts  ;  and  against 
them,  of  course,  force  must  be  used. 

The  motto  chosen  by  the  Royal  Niger  Company — was 
it  in  irony,  or  for  the  sake  of  rhythm  ? — "  Pax,  Jus,  Ars,"  is 
certainly  most  beautiful,  most  complete,  most  suitable,  for 
a  people  who  dream  of  combining  venal  profits  with 
humanitarian  ameliorations  in  their  colonization  of  native 
districts.  This  motto  cannot,  however,  be  acted  upon 
without  some  trouble  and  conflict.  Peace?  How  about 
the  successful  slave  raids  undertaken  under  the  cloak  of 
religion,  on  which  the  Samorys,  the  Amadus,  the  chief  of 
Sokoto  and  their  bands  depend  for  their  livelihood? 
Justice?  Suppose  the  races  oppressed  because  of  their 
very  gentleness,  ground  down  because  of  their  productive- 
ness, refuse  to  obey  their  conquerors,  Toucouleurs,  Fulahs, 
or  whoever  they  may  be  ;  will  the  captive  find  himself  the 
equal  of  the  master?  Art?  the  Knowledge  and  the  Toil 
which  should  win  freedom  ?  Grant  them,  and  what  will 
become  of  the  sorcerers,  and  the  starving  marabouts  with 
their  impostures  and  their  mummeries  ?  There  have  been, 
there  inevitably  will  be  again,  prolonged  and  obstinate 
resistance.     That   resistance  must   be   overcome,  and   the 


4  THE    EXPLORATION    OF    THE    NIGER 

struggle   must   cost   bloodshed,    but    that   bloodshed    will 
increase  the  future  harvest. 

It  is  altogether  different,  however,  with  an  exploring 
expedition.  Its  mission  is  not  to  dictate,  but  to  persuade 
— not  to  conquer,  but  to  reconnoitre.  This,  however, 
scarcely  lessened  the  difficulty  of  our  task.  In  a  new 
country,  ignorance  alone,  rather  than  actual  ill-will  founded 
on  serious  reasons,  is  enough  to  make  the  natives  hostile. 
They  look  upon  the  traveller  as  a  malevolent  intruder, 
a  sorcerer,  a  devil.  They  want  to  hinder  his  progress,  to 
make  him  turn  back,  and  when  they  despair  of  doing  that 
they  try  to  pillage  and  to  destroy  him. 

Weapons  of  precision,  discipline,  a  single  blow  may 
perhaps  sometimes  break  through  the  obstacle,  and  the 
traveller  will  pass  on.     But  afterwards  ? 

Afterwards,  the  road  will  be  closed  before  him.  One 
tribe  after  another  wull  rise,  and  if  the  explorer  has  any 
armed  followers,  it  will  be  with  him  as  it  was  with  Stanley 
in  his  blood-stained  course,  the  path  behind  him  will  be 
marked  by  corpses. 

Afterwards,  moreover,  the  road  behind  him  will  also  be 
barred — closed  for  long  years  to  every  pacific  attempt. 
This  sort  of  thing  means,  in  fact,  difficulties  increased, 
sometimes  indeed  rendered  positively  insurmountable  to 
those  who  would  resume  or  complete  the  task  begun. 

True,  I  cannot  claim  to  have  left  behind  me  tribes 
entirely  devoted  to  us,  or  districts  completely  won  over  to 
our  ideas,  to  which  France  has  but  to  send  her  traders  and 
her  directors  ;  but  I  think  I  can  say  that  where  our  passage 
did  nothing  to  ameliorate  the  situation,  it  at  least  made  it 
no  worse ;  and  of  this  I  am  proud. 

Briefly  stated,  what  we  did  on  our  expedition  was,  to 
ascend  the  Senegal,  reach  the  Niger  at  its  highest  navigable 
point,  and  go  down  it  to  the  sea. 


AN   ABORTIVE    START  5 

This  was  not  a  new  idea.  My  friend  Felix  Dubois  claims, 
not  unjustly,  that  the  same  thing  occurred  to  Colbert.  For 
all  that,  however,  scarcely  a  century  ago  no  one  knew  the 
exact  position  either  of  the  source  or  the  mouth  of  the 
Niger ;  and  those  who  were  anxious  to  learn  something 
about  its  geography,  had  only  Herodotus,  Ibn  Batuta,  and 
Leo  Africanus  to  guide  them. 

But  we  must  do  justice  to  our  rivals  :  the  English  were 


NATIVES  OF  THE  BANKS  OF  THE  SENEGAL. 

the  first  to  attempt  to  realize  the  dream  of  Colbert.  In 
1797,  the  Scotchman  Mungo  Park  reached  the  Upper  Niger 
by  way  of  Guinea.  "  Are  there  then  no  streams,  no  rivers, 
no  anything  in  your  country,"  a  chief  of  Kasso  said  to  him, 
"  that  you  come  at  the  peril  of  your  life  to  see  the  Joliba  ?  " 
(the  Upper  Niger).  Park  stopped  at  Silla,  near  our 
present  settlement  at  Sansanding,  and  renewing  his 
attempt  a  few  years  later,  he  met  his  death — how,  no  one 
knows  exactly,  somewhere  near  Bussa. 


6  THE    EXPLORATION    OF   THE    NIGER 

Although  very  celebrated  in  England,  Mungo  Park  was 
quite  unknown  to  the  French,  even  in  their  colonies.  I  give 
the   following   well-known    anecdote   from  memory.     "In 

1890  a  highly  educated  person  said  to  M.  X ,  a  French 

colonial  officer  of  high  rank,  '  There  is  a  future  before 
the  Niger  districts.  See  what  Mungo  Park  says  about 
them  ; '  and  he  followed  this  up  with  a  lot  of  quotations 
from  Park's  book.  '  Oh,  that  is  all  very  interesting,'  said 
the  other ;  '  if  Mungo  Park  is  in  Paris,  you  had  better  take 
him  to  the  Minister.'      Then  when  the  death  of  Park  in 

1805    was   explained,    M.    X cried,   thinking  he   had 

found  an  unanswerable  argument,  *  I  bet  your  Park  died 
of  fever  ! ' " 

Perhaps  after  all  he  confused  him  with  the  Pare  Monceau, 
the  healthiness  of  which  had  lately  been  called  in  question. 

Our  journey  was  accomplished  just  one  century  after 
Mungo  Park's  first  attempt.  We  started  from  about  the 
same  point,  too,  as  did  the  great  Scotch  traveller,  only 
from  the  Senegal  instead  of  the  Gambia,  but  our  attempt 
was  crowned  by  success. 

Of  course,  it  will  be  said,  that  we  had  fewer  unknown 
districts  to  go  through.  Since  1805,  Europeans  have  con- 
quered half  the  continent  of  Africa.  We  stepped  from  a 
French  colony  into  an  English  Protectorate.  Moreover, 
earlier  travellers  than  ourselves  explored  certain  sections  of 
our  route,  whilst  Park  had  everywhere  to  work  his  way 
through  virgin  territory. 

Perhaps,  however,  all  these  supposed  advantages  in  our 
favour  really  only  added  to  our  difficulties. 

Happening  to  find  myself  in  Paris  in  October  1893, 
on  the  eve  of  my  return  to  my  Staff  duties  in  the  French 
Sudan,  I  one  day  met  Colonel  Monteil.  "  Go,"  he  said  to 
me,  "  and  find  Monsieur  Delcasse  "  (then  Under  Secretary 
of  State  for  the  Colonies),  "  he  has  something  to  say  to  you." 


AN   ABORTIVE   START  7 

The  next  day  I  presented  myself  at  the  Pavilion  de  Flore. 
"  You  are  leaving  for  the  Sudan,"  said  Monsieur  Delcass^  ; 
"  what  are  you  going  to  do  there  ? "  "  It  is  not  quite 
decided  yet,"  I  replied.  "  I  heard  some  talk  of  a  hydro- 
graphic  exploration  of  the  courses  of  the  Bafing  and  the 
Bakhoy  "  (two  streams  which  meet  at  Bafulabe,  to  form  the 
Senegal).  "  You  no  doubt  know  more  about  it  than  I  do." 
"  Well ! "  he  replied,  "  I  would  rather  you  went  down  the 
Niger,  in  accordance  with  the  project  Monteil  spoke  to 
me  about,  and  which  you,  it  seems,  submitted  to  my 
predecessor." 

"  I  should  prefer  it  too,"  I  said  ;  "  it  is  just  what  I  have 
been  asking  for  for  the  last  five  years." 

"  Well,  then,  that  is  settled  ;  send  me  a  report  and  an 
estimate  of  expenses." 

Thus  in  two  minutes  the  exploration  of  the  Niger  was 
decided  upon. 

It  is,  in  fact,  true  (see  Report  of  December  1888)  that  I 
suggested  such  an  expedition  five  years  ago ;  but  it  is 
really  ten  years  since  a  similar  plan  was  proposed  by 
another,  and  that  other  my  venerated  chief,  my  friend,  and 
my  master  in  all  things  connected  with  the  Sudan,  Naval 
Lieutenant  Davoust.     He  died  in  harness. 

After  the  occupation  of  Bamaku,  Naval  Ensign  Froger, 
a  man  of  immense  energy,  endurance,  and  indomitable  per- 
severance, whose  name  comes  in  whenever  there  is  any 
talk  of  French  work  in  the  Sudan,  took  a  French  gunboat, 
piece  by  piece,  to  the  Niger.  God  only  knows  at  what  cost. 
There  he  put  her  together,  launched  her,  and  since  1884 
she  has  remained  on  the  river.  This  gunboat,  baptized  the 
Niger,  was  commanded,  on  the  retirement  of  Froger,  by 
Davoust,  who  in  accepting  the  appointment,  hoped  to  take 
his  vessel  up  to  Timbuktu.  As  a  logical  consequence,  of 
course,  he  asked  permission  to  go  down  to  the  opening  of 


8  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE    NIGER 

the  navigable  portion  of  the  great  river,  or,  if  it  were 
possible,  to  the  sea  itself,  but  the  authorization  was  refused. 
He  was  stopped  at  Nuhu  in  Massina.  Weakened  by  dys- 
entery and  fever,  he  was  compelled,  greatly  against  his 
will,  to  return  to  France,  without  having  even  reached 
Timbuktu. 

That  honour  was  reserved  for  his  successor,  Caron,  who, 
with  Sub-Lieutenant  Lefort  and  Dr.  Jouenne,  reached 
Koriome,  the  port  of  the  mysterious  town ;  but  the  intrigues 
of  the  Toucouleurs  and  the  merchants  of  the  north  made 
the  Tuaregs  hostile.  He  was  unable  to  enter  the  ancient 
capital  of  the  Sahara,  but  he  brought  back  with  him  a 
magnificent  map  on  the  scale  of  ^(j-^o  ^^  the  course  of  the 
river,  such  as  had,  perhaps,  never  before  been  made  of  any 
river  of  Africa.  It  proved  beyond  a  doubt,  that  from  Kuli- 
koro  to  Timbuktu,  that  is  to  say,  for  a  length  of  about  500 
miles,  the  Niger  is  perfectly  navigable,  free  from  obstacles, 
everywhere  accessible  to  small  craft,  and  nearly  always  to 
steamers  and  barges  of  considerable  draught. 

Davoust  returned  to  the  charge  in  1888,  when  he  did  me 
the  honour  of  taking  me  as  his  second  in  command,  and  it 
was  decided  that  we  should  go  down  the  river,  until  the 
absolutely  insuperable  obstacles  in  our  path  barred  our 
progress. 

Alas !  it  was  decreed  that  Davoust  should  never  realize 
success. 

What  happened  ?  Just  as  we  were  going  to  start  came 
an  order  that  we  were  to  do  nothing.  We  wintered  at 
Manambugu,  a  terribly  unhealthy  spot,  and  there,  with 
infinite  trouble,  we  constructed  a  few  wretched  huts  of 
straw  and  loam,  to  protect  ourselves  and  our  goods. 
Under  such  conditions,  death  soon  wrought  havoc  in  our 
ranks.  We  white  men  numbered  eighteen  when  we  started  ; 
less  than  a  year  later  we  were  but  five.     The  rest  we  had 


AN   ABORTIVE    START  9 

buried  along  our  path  as  we  returned,  or  in  our  little 
cemetery  at  Manambugu. 

Poor  Davoust  reached  Kita  but  to  die.  The  order 
forbidding  us  to  start  had  been  his  death-blow.  Until 
then  he  had,  however,  kept  up  only  by  force  of  his  intense 
determination.  It  was  but  his  hope  of  success  which  sus- 
tained him ;  he  existed  only  for  the  sake  of  his  great  scheme. 
"  Merely  having  failed  to  descend  the  Niger,"  he  exclaimed 
to  me  one  day,  "  made  Mungo  Park  famous,  but  we,  we 
shall  succeed^ 

He  could  not  bear  to  see  all  his  long-cherished  plans 
upset  for  no  real  reason,  on  the  very  eve  of  realization.  It 
was  too  severe  a  blow  for  the  little  strength  which  remained 
to  him.  He  nevertheless  continued  to  help  me  in  fitting 
out  the  Mage,  a  gunboat  like  the  Niger^  which  we  had 
brought  from  France ;  he  even  made  some  trial  trips  ;  but 
in  the  month  of  December  he  set  off  for  home,  to  try  and 
regain  his  strength  in  his  native  land,  and  buoyed  up  with 
the  hope  of  being  able  to  win  over  our  colonial  authorities 
to  his  views. 

He  never  reached  France  ;  he  rests  at  Kita.  When  we 
thought  all  was  lost,  and  our  mission  hopelessly  com- 
promised, we  gathered  round  his  tomb.  Perhaps  it  was 
our  doing  so  which  brought  us  good  fortune  at  last. 

How  many,  aye,  some  even  greater  men  than  he,  have 
fallen  thus  !  Alas  !  it  has  been  with  the  dead  bodies  of  our 
countrymen  that  the  soil  of  the  French  Sudan,  which  we 
hope  will  some  day  yield  so  rich  a  harvest,  has  been 
fertilized  !  Dare  we  add,  that  those  who  went  there  in  the 
hope  of  winning  gold  braid  and  crosses,  got  "crosses" 
indeed,  but  they  consisted  only  of  two  bits  of  wood  clumsily 
nailed  together  by  some  comrade,  and  set  up  in  the  corner 
of  a  field  of  millet,  beneath  the  shade  of  some  baobab  tree  ; 
poor   ephemeral    crosses,    soon   eaten    up    by   white   ants, 


lo  THE    EXPLORATION    OF    THE    NIGER 

incapable  even  of  preserving  the  memory  of  the  brave 
fellows  buried  beneath  them. 

But  we  must  not  bemoan  too  much  the  fate  of  these 
noble  dead.  We  must  honour  them  and  follow  their 
example. 

Well  then,  Davoust  being  dead,  without  having  accom- 
plished his  task,  I  vowed  that  a  boat  bearing  his  name 
should  descend  the  river.  This  promise  I  made  in  1888, 
but  it  was  not  until  1896  that  I  was  able  to  redeem  it. 
Now  I  have  fulfilled  my  vow. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  it  would  have  made  all  the 
difference  in  the  political  results  of  my  mission,  if  it  could 
have  been  undertaken  eight  or  ten  years  earlier.  For 
instance,  in  the  negotiations  which  took  place  in  1 890,  and 
were  so  inauspicious  for  our  influence  on  the  Lower  Niger, 
our  plenipotentiaries  would  have  been  able  to  assert,  that 
the  rapids  at  Burrum  existed  only  in  the  imagination  of 
Sir  Edward  Malet,  a  fact  not  without  its  importance. 

But  we  will  not  trouble  ourselves  with  what  the  expedition 
ought  to  have  done — we  will  merely  record  what  it  did  do. 

My  project,  adopted  by  M.  Delcasse,  was  that  of  Davoust, 
slightly  modified.  Instead  of  employing  gunboats  drawing 
about  three  feet  of  water,  I  found  it  best  to  employ  barges 
of  very  slight  draught  worked  with  oars.  An  attentive 
study  of  Dr.  Barth's  narrative  reveals  how  very  great  were 
the  difficulties  of  navigation,  at  least  on  those  parts  of  the 
river  he  himself  explored  ;  for  it  must  be  remembered 
that  he  never  spoke  by  hearsay.  Of  course  a  boat  drawing 
a  foot  or  so  only  of  water  would  easily  pass  over  rapids, 
where  such  vessels  as  the  Mage  and  the  Niger  must 
inevitably  come  to  grief 

Moreover,  a  steam-boat  needs  fuel,  and  that  fuel  would 
have  to  be  wood.  Then  we  must  go  and  cut  that  wood, 
which  would  give  the  natives  opportunities  for  hostility. 


AN   ABORTIVE    START  ii 

Moreover,  the  machinery  might  get  out  of  order.  Of  course, 
rowing  is  slower  than  steaming,  but  it  is  much  safer.  Then, 
too,  we  had  the  current  in  our  favour ;  we  had  but  to  let 
ourselves  go  and  we  should  certainly  arrive  at  some  goal, 
if  not  at  a  good  port.  The  stream  would  carry  our  barges 
down,  with  us  on  or  under  them,  as  Spartan  mothers 
would  have  said. 

Besides,  there  was  something  graceful  about  this  mode  of 
progression.  To  row  down  the  Niger  at  the  end  of  the 
nineteenth  century,  was  not  only  amusing,  but  there  was 
really  something  audacious  about  it,  when  it  might  have 
been  done  so  differently,  and,  after  all,  I  was  right  ;  for 
never  could  gunboats  have  passed  where  my  plucky  little 
boat,  the  Davoust,  made  her  way. 

This  resolution  come  to,  the  next  thing  was  to  build  the 
boat  which  was  to  be  the  inseparable  companion  of  our 
journey.  "  As  you  make  your  bed  you  must  lie  upon  it," 
I  thought,  and  I  gave  my  whole  mind  to  the  matter. 

She  must  be  strong  but  light,  and  easily  taken  to  pieces  ; 
she  must  not  exceed  the  minimum  space  needed  to  hold  us 
all ;  she  must  be  capable  of  carrying  eight  to  ten  tons,  and 
she  must  not  be  difficult  to  steer. 

During  the  year  1893,  it  happened  that  great  progress 
had  been  made  in  the  working  of  aluminium,  and  Monteil 
had  actually  ventured  to  employ  that  metal  in  the  construc- 
tion of  a  little  boat  intended  for  use  on  the  Ubangi. 
It  seemed,  however,  rather  hazardous  to  follow  his  example, 
for,  after  all,  what  could  be  done  with  aluminium  had  not 
been  actually  put  to  the  test,  and  our  very  lives  depended 
almost  entirely  on  the  durability  of  our  boat.  Still,  I  had 
to  take  into  account  the  fact  that  the  craft  would  sometimes 
have  to  be  carried  overland,  and  then  the  lightness  of  the 
metal  would  be  immensely  in  its  favour. 

In    a  word,   I    decided    for  aluminium.     Truth   to   tell, 


12  THE    EXPLORATION    OF   THE    NIGER 

however,  I  confess  I  am  not  very  proud  of  the  decision  I 
came  to.  The  material  was  not  hard  enough  ;  it  was  easily 
bent ;  it  staved  in  at  the  slightest  shock,  and  I  often  wished 
I  had  decided  on  a  steel  boat.  At  the  same  time,  it  should 
be  admitted  that  its  chief  quality — that  of  lightness — was 
never  really  put  to  the  test ;  for  throughout  the  journey  we. 
never  once  had  to  take  our  craft  to  pieces,  for  the  purpose  of 
carrying  it  in  sections,  over  otherwise  insurmountable  ob- 
stacles. As  she  was  launched  at  Kolikoro,  so  she  arrived  at 
Wari.  This  w^as  perhaps  as  well ;  for  I  really  do  not  know 
whether  the  bolts  once  taken  out  of  their  strained  sockets 
would  ever  have  fitted  properly  again.  To  sum  up,  how- 
ever, the  Davoiist,  an  aluminium  boat,  reached  the  mouth 
of  the  Niger,  which  was  really  all  that  was  expected  of  her. 

Now  let  me  introduce  my  Davoust  properly.  She  is 
not  exactly  a  handsome  craft.  She  looks  more  like  a 
wooden  shoe  or  a  case  of  soap  than  anything  ;  that  is  to 
say,  the  stern  is  square,  whilst  the  bow  runs  up  into  a  point. 
This  pointed  bow,  I  must  remark  e7i  passant^  will  be  very 
useful  for  jumping  on  shore  from  without  wetting  our  feet. 

She  is  about  98  feet  long  by  j\  feet  wide,  and  only  draws 
about  a  foot  and  a  quarter  of  water,  which  does  not  prevent 
her  from  carrying  nine  tons.  Two  water-tight  partitions 
divide  her  into  three  compartments,  the  central  one  of  which 
forms  the  hold,  where  are  stowed  all  our  valuables,  food, 
ammunition,  and  bales  of  goods.  The  hold  is  covered  in 
with  steel  plates,  which  serve  as  a  deck,  and  at  the  same 
time  greatly  add  to  the  general  strength  of  the  craft. 

The  other  two  compartments,  covered  in  by  thin  planking, 
serve  as  cabins.  The  planks,  as  will  be  readily  understood, 
are  but  little  protection  against  the  heat  of  the  sun  and  in 
storms;  but,  of  course,  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  add 
needlessly  to  the  weight  of  the  boat,  merely  for  the  sake  of 
comfort.     In  the  centre  is  placed  a  machine  gun.     In  the 


AN   ABORTIVE    START 

fore  part  of  the  steel  deck  will  sit  the  oarsmen,  or,  to  k^ 
strictly  nautical,  the  rowers. 

Three  sails,  two  triangular  and  one  square,  will  help  us 
along  when  the  wind  is  favourable.  True,  this  rig-out  of 
sails  on  a  vessel  the  size  of  ours  is  not  exactly  what  is 
generally  seen  in  the  Navy,  but  what  does  that  matter  in 
the  wilds  of  Africa,  with  no  companions  and  no  engineers 
to  make  fun  of  my  innovation  ?  How  well  it  will  sound, 
too,  will  it  not,  when  we  reach  their  territories  if  the  English 
telegraph  to  Europe,  "A  French  three-master  has  descended 
the  Niger  from  Timbuktu  !  " 

All  this  finally  settled,  the  next  thing  to  do  was  to  divide 
the  boat  into  sections.  The  problem  was,  how  to  manage 
to  do  this  so  that  these  sections  could  be  carried  on  the 
heads  of  our  porters,  no  one  of  them  weighing  more  than 
from  about  55  to  66  lbs.  This  is  really  all  we  can  expect 
of  a  black  porter  who  was  not  brought  up  in  the  ship- 
building trade. 

To  begin  with,  I  divide  my  boat  longitudinally  from 
bow  to  stern  into  two  equal  sections,  which  are  afterwards 
sub-divided.  These  two  sections  are  to  be  bolted  on  to  a 
sheet  of  steel  which  will  serve  as  a  keel.  The  joints  are  of 
leather.  The  heaviest  piece,  that  is  to  say,  the  stern, 
weighs  some  81  lbs.,  but  two  porters  can  carry  it  together. 

This  flat-bottomed  craft  of  ours  will  be  steered  by  means 
of  a  long  rudder,  the  wheel  of  which  is  placed  at  the 
threshold  of  my  cabin,  so  that  I  shall  have  it  close  at  hand. 
On  my  cabin  roof  is  the  steering  compass,  and  the  tent  to 
protect  us  in  the  day,  which  tent  is  made  of  brown  and 
red  striped  cloth  with  a  scalloped  edge.  We  fancy  ourselves 
on  the  beach  of  Normandy  when  we  are  in  it.  The  roof  of 
my  cabin  will  serve  me  as  a  table  on  which  to  work  at  my 
hydrographical  observations. 

The  Davoust  was  just  big  enough  to  hold  us  all.    She 


THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

.d  be  handled  easily  enough  ;  she  contained  only  what 
was  absolutely  indispensable,  and  all  I  asked  of  her  was 
that  she  should  carry  us  safely  to  our  goal. 

It  would  not  do  for  me  to  embark  alone  to  descend  the 
Niger.  The  next  thing  was,  therefore,  to  choose  my  crew. 
Of  all  the  lucky  chances  which  marked  the  course  of  our 
trip,  and  contributed  to  its  success,  there  was  one  for 
which  I  ought  to  have  been  more  grateful  to  Providence 
than  I  was,  and  that  was,  that  He  gave  me  just  the 
companions  who  went  with  me. 

All  who  know  from  experience  what  the  sun  of  Africa 
is,  who  are  aware  of  the  combined  effects  of  illness  and 
privations,  such  as  the  want  of  sufficient  nourishment,  of 
perpetual  danger,  of  never-ceasing  responsibility,  who  have 
themselves  suffered  from  working  with  uncongenial 
companions,  whose  worst  faults  come  out  under  the  stress 
of  suffering  and  fatigue,  who  know  what  the  unsociability 
of  the  tropics  often  is,  will  realize  the  force  of  what  I  have 
said. 

We  started  five  companions,  we  returned  five  friends  : 
that  is  the  most  astonishing  part  of  what  we  did  ! 

First  of  those  who  joined  me,  who  shared  all  my  hard- 
ships as  well  as  my  success,  was  Naval  Ensign,  now 
Lieutenant  Baudry. 

One  of  those  who  had  laboured  in  the  vineyard  from 
the  first,  M.  Baudry  had  begged  me  to  take  him  with  me, 
should  the  chance  ever  occur,  long  before  my  expedition 
was  decided  on.  He  happened  to  be  in  Paris  at  the  time, 
for,  like  myself,  he  was  about  to  start  for  the  Sudan  on 
Staff  duty.  He  too  had  been  bitten  by  the  Colonial 
tarantula,  causing  a  serious  illness,  only  to  be  cured  by  an 
actual  journey  to  the  colonies.  A  few  minutes  after  the 
decision  of  the  Under  Secretary  of  State  for  Colonial  Affairs 
the  matter  was  settled  :  he  was  to  go  with  me. 


NAVAL  ENSIGN   BAUDRY, 

Second  in  command  of  the  Hourst  Expedition. 


.d^ 


WSLF 


AN   ABORTIVE    START  17 

He  has  been  my  comrade  in  happy  and  in  dreary  hours. 
Together  we  suffered  from  the  events  which  kept  us 
imprisoned,  so  to  speak,  in  the  French  Sudan  for  nearly 
two  years  before  we  could  really  make  a  start.  He  adopted 
my  ideas,  he  made  them  his  own,  and  set  to  work  immediate- 
ly to  carry  them  into  action.  It  is  but  just  that  I  should 
speak  of  him  first  of  all  in  these  terms  of  praise,  for  always 
and  everywhere  I  was  secure  of  his  help  and  co-operation. 

We  made  up  the  rest  of  our  party  at  St.  Louis,  for 
Baudry  and  I  were  at  first  the  only  two  white  men  in  the 
expedition.  We  had  to  choose  eight  Senegal  coolies,  one  of 
whom  was  a  non-commissioned  officer  lent  to  us  by  the 
naval  authorities.  I  knew  that  I  should  be  able  to  engage 
any  number  of  brave  and  sturdy  fellows,  faithful  to  the 
death  down  there,  and  so  it  proved. 

The  grave  question  of  the  choice  of  a  native  interpreter 
still  remained  to  be  solved.  I  had  my  man  in  my  mind, 
but  I  did  not  know  whether  I  could  secure  him.  I  lost  no 
time  in  asking  the  authorities  at  Senegal  to  place  Mandao 
Osmane  at  my  disposal. 

I  had  known  and  learnt  to  value  Mandao  on  the  Niger 
flotilla ;  he  and  his  family  had  already  rendered  more 
devoted  services  to  France  than  I  could  count.  Well-read, 
intelligent,  very  brave,  very  refined,  and  very  proud, 
Mandao  was  the  type  of  an  educated  negro.  He  would 
have  been  a  valuable  assistant  and  a  trusted  friend  to 
us.  I  knew  that  it  was  his  great  ambition  to  be  decorated 
like  his  father,  who  had  been  one  of  General  Faidherbe's 
most  valued  auxiliaries.  He  was  to  die  on  the  field  of 
honour,  killed  during  the  Monteil  expedition. 

If  some  inquirer  asks  you,  "  What  is  the  first  thing  to  do 
to  prepare  for  an  exploring  expedition  to  Central  Africa  ?  " 
answer  without  hesitation,  "  Buy  some  of  the  things  which 
are  being  sold  off  in  Paris."     And  this  is  why.     The  usual 


i8  THE    EXPLORATION    OF    THE    NIGER 

currency  on  the  Niger  is  the  httle  cowry  found  on  the  coast 
of  Mozambique.  Five  thousand  represent  about  the  value 
of  a  franc.  As  will  at  once  be  realized,  this  means  a  very 
great  weight  to  lug  about,  as  heavy,  in  fact,  as  the  Spartan 
coinage,  and  besides,  it  is  not  known  everywhere  even  in 
Nigritia.  In  many  villages  everything  is  sold  by  barter. 
"  How  much  for  that  sheep?"  you  ask,  and  the  answer  is 
"  Ten  cubits  "  (about  six  yards)  "  of  white  stuff,  or  fifty  gilt 
beads,  so  many  looking-glasses,  so  many  sheets  of  paper, 
or  so  many  bars  of  salt,"  according  to  what  the  seller  wants 
most. 

One  must  provide  oneself  with  the  sort  of  things 
required. 

Besides  all  this,  presents  are  needed,  and  all  sorts  of 
unexpected  articles  come  in  usefully  for  them.  Black-lead 
sold  in  tubes  is  used  for  blackening  and  increasing  the 
brilliance  of  the  eyes  of  Fulah  coquettes  ;  curtain-loops  are 
transformed  into  shoulder  ornaments  or  belts  to  hold  the 
weapons  of  warriors  ;  whilst  the  various  dainty  articles  used 
in  cotillons  are  much  appreciated  by  native  belles,  who  are 
also  very  fond  of  sticking  tortoise-shell  combs  into  their 
woolly  locks.  Take  also  some  pipes,  tobacco-pouches, 
fishing-tackle,  needles,  knives  and  scissors,  a  few  burnouses 
made  of  bath-towels,  china  and  glass  buttons,  coral,  amber, 
cheap  silks,  tri-coloured  sunshades,  etc. 

We  had  to  give  powerful  chiefs  such  things  as  embroidered 
velvet  saddles,  weapons,  costly  garments,  and  valuable  stuffs. 
Tastes  change  from  one  generation  to  another  ;  the  fashion 
is  different  in  different  villages  ;  besides,  we  were  expected, 
it  was  specified  in  our  instructions,  to  open  commercial 
relations  with  the  natives  for  the  travellers  who  should 
succeed  us.  So  we  were  bound  to  have  with  us  as  great 
a  variety  of  samples  of  our  wares  as  possible. 

Moreover,    Tuaregs    and    negroes    alike    are    only   big 


AN    ABORTIVE    START  19 

children.  They  fight  just  to  amuse  themselves  when  they 
happen  to  have  a  sword  or  a  gun.  They  would  play  just 
as  happily  with  a  mechanical  rabbit,  a  peg-top,  or  a  doll 
which  says  "  Papa."  So  we  must  take  some  toys  with  us, 
such  as  crawling  lizards,  jumping  frogs,  musical  boxes,  even 
a  miniature  organ  which  plays  the  quadrille  a  chahtit}  as  it 
consumes  yards  of  perforated  paper.  And  even  now  I  have 
not  enumerated  all  the  things  we  took. 

Face  to  face  with  this  very  incoherent  programme, 
suppose  for  carrying  it  out  you  have  two  naval  officers,  one 
just  come  back  from  the  Sudan,  the  other  from  China,  and 
you  say  to  them,  giving  them  the  necessary  funds,  "  Now 
you  go  and  settle  things  up."  Well,  you  will  soon  see  what 
they  can  do,  but  if  they  are  up  to  their  work  they  will  go 
straight  away  and  secure  the  help  of  Leon  Bolard,  a  com- 
mercial agent  who  is  a  specialist  in  providing  for  exploring 
expeditions.  And  then  these  two  will  amuse  themselves 
like  a  couple  of  fools  for  a  month  at  least ;  that  is  what  we 
did. 

Long  shall  I  remember  these  prowlings  in  furnishing 
shops,  where  the  owners  were  not  always  very  civil,  for  we 
turned  their  premises  upside  down  sometimes  for  mere 
trifles.  Some  days  we  tramped  for  eighteen  miles  along 
the  pavements  of  Paris,  measured  by  the  pedometer. 

Our  most  amusing  experiences  were  when  we  went  in 
search  of  bargains  at  sales.  Slightly  soiled  stuffs  and 
remnants  are  first-rate  treasure  trove  for  explorers  who 
are  at  all  careful  of  the  coffers  of  the  State ;  but  how  one 
has  to  walk,  and  how  one  has  to  climb  to  fourth  and  fifth 
storeys  to  realize  these  economies  !  We  once  got  about 
1600  yards  of  velvet  for  nineteen  sous,  and  we  picked  up 
knives  with  handles  representing  the  Eiffel  Tower,  with 
others  bearing  political  allusions  to  Panama,  etc. 
^  A  popular  French  dance. — Trans. 


20  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

At  the  end  of  a  month  Baudry  and  I  were  quite 
knocked  up.  Bolard  alone  continued  indefatigable.  But 
we  had  bought  twenty-seven  thousand  francs'  worth  of 
merchandise,  which  was  all  piled  up  in  the  basement  of  the 
Pavilion  de  Flore.  Such  an  extraordinary  heap  it  made  ; 
bales  of  calico  on  top  of  cavalry  sabres,  Pelion  on  Ossa. 

We  received  several  distinguished  visitors  there,  too. 
M.  Grodet,  just  appointed  Governor  of  the  French  Sudan, 
came  to  see  us,  and  was  very  amiable,  seeming  to  take 
a  great  interest  in  what  we  were  doing.  Quantum 
imitata  .  .  . 

Next  came  the  packing,  which  was  anything  but  an 
easy  task.  An  explorer  ought  to  be  also  an  experienced 
packer  of  the  very  first  rank.  No  package  must  exceed 
55  lbs.  in  weight.  To  begin  with,  all  the  luggage  must 
be  absolutely  water-tight,  easily  handled,  and  of  a  regular 
geometrical  shape,  so  as  to  be  stowed  away  in  our 
hold  without  much  difficulty.  Then  the  various  articles 
making  up  each  package  must  be  so  arranged  as  not  to 
get  damaged  by  rubbing  against  each  other  or  shifting 
about.  Lastly,  and  this  was  the  greatest  difficulty  of  all, 
the  bales  must  be  made  up  so  that  we  could  easily  get  out 
what  we  wanted  without  constantly  opening  them  all. 
And  what  a  responsibility  the  whole  thing  was ! 

Then  we  had  certain  things  with  us  which  were  sure  to 
strike  the  imagination  of  the  natives,  notably  Baudry's 
bicycle,  some  Geissler's  vacuum  tubes,  and  an  Edison 
phonograph — the  cinematograph  was  not  then  invented. 
Our  instrument  was,  in  fact,  one  of  the  first  which  had 
been  seen  even  in  France.  It  would  repeat  the  native 
songs,  and  I  relied  on  it  to  interest  the  chiefs  and  the 
literati,  for  to  amuse  them  would,  I  hoped,  make  them 
forget  their  hostile  designs. 

For  weapons  the  Minister  of  War  gave  us  ten  Lebel 


AN   ABORTIVE    START 


21 


rifles  of  the  1893  pattern,  ten  revolvers  of  the  very  latest 
pattern,  with  ten  thousand  cartridges,  which  represented 
one  thousand  per  man,  more  than  enough  in  my  opinion. 
Lastly,  the  naval  authorities  let  us  have  a  quick-firing 
Hotchkiss  gun,  with  ammunition  and  all  accessories. 

On  December  25  all  was  ready,  except  that  the  Davoust 
was  not  quite  finished.  On  Christmas  Day  Baudry  started 
for  Bordeaux,  with  the  larger  portion  of  our  stores,  and  on 


Till-:  1 'OKI- 


January  5,  I,  in  my  turn,  embarked  on  the  steamship 
Brazil  of  the  Messageries  Maritimes,  taking  with  me  my 
boat  in  sections. 

Dakar  lies  low  at  the  extremity  of  the  bay  on  which  it  is 
built,  at  the  foot  of  the  heights,  which  together  form  Cape 
Verd.  It  has  inherited  the  commercial  position  of  Fort 
Goree,  and  looks  like  an  islet  of  verdure  framed  amongst 
sombre  rocks  and  gleaming  sands. 

Alas  !    if  Dakar  were  English,  what  a  busy  commercial 


22  THE    EXPLORATION    OF    THE    NIGER 

port  it  would  be !  Into  what  an  impregnable  citadel,  what 
a  well-stocked  arsenal,  our  rivals  would  have  converted  it. 

But  Dakar  is  French,  and  although  we  cannot  deny  that 
it  has  made  progress,  there  is  no  shutting  our  eyes  to 
the  fact  that  the  progress  is  slow.  Yet  it  would  be  simply 
impossible  to  find  a  better  site  on  the  western  coast  of 
Africa.  It  is  a  Cherbourg  of  the  Atlantic.  The  roadstead 
is  very  safe,  it  can  be  entered  at  any  time,  the  anchorage  is 
excellent,  the  air  comparatively  healthy,  and  there  is  plenty 
of  water. 

And  what  a  splendid  position  too  from  a  military  point  of 
view ! 

When  war  is  declared,  and  the  Suez  Canal  is  blocked,  the 
old  route  to  India  and  the  far  East  will  resume  its  former 
importance,  and  Dakar  will  become,  as  Napoleon  said  of 
Cherbourg,  "  a  dagger  in  the  heart  of  England."  Well 
stored  with  coal,  and  provided  with  good  docks  and  work- 
shops, etc.,  Dakar  might  in  the  next  great  war  become  a 
centre  for  the  re-victualling  of  a  whole  fleet  of  rapid  cruisers 
and  torpedo  boats,  harassing  the  commerce  of  England.  It 
will  also  be  the  entrenched  camp  or  harbour  of  refuge  in 
which  our  vessels  will  take  shelter  from  superior  forces.  Let 
us  hope  that  this  vision  will  be  realized.  Meanwhile  the 
rivalry  between  St.  Louis,  Dakar,  and  Rufisque  is  not  very 
beneficial  to  any  one  of  the  three  towns. 

Dakar  is  of  special  importance  to  the  Niger  districts,  and 
this  is  why  I  have  dwelt  a  little  on  its  present  position  and 
probable  future.  Some  day  no  doubt  it  will  become  the 
port  of  export  of  the  trade  of  the  Sudan,  which  will,  I 
think,  become  very  considerable  when  Kayes  is  connected 
with  St.  Louis  and  Badomb6  with  Kolikoro  by  the  great 
French  railway  of  West  Africa. 

Dakar  interested  me  for  yet  another  reason.  It  was  there 
I  set  foot  once  more  on  African  soil  after  an  absence  of  two 


AN    ABORTIVE    START  23 

long  years.  I  flattered  myself  that  now  I  should  have  to 
contend  face  to  face  with  material  difficulties  only,  before  I 
realized  my  schemes  ;  so  that  when  I  saw  all  my  bales  and 
packages  and  the  sections  of  the  Davoust^  with  absolutely 
nothing  missing,  lying  symmetrically  arranged  on  the  quay 
of  the  Dakar  St.  Louis  railway,  it  was  one  of  the  happiest 
hours  of  my  life.  It  has  often  been  said  that  the  most 
difficult  part  of  an  expedition  is  the  start.  Well,  I  thought 
I  Jiad  started,  and  was  now  sure  of  success.  Alas !  what  a 
humbling  disillusioning  was  before  me  ! 

Thanks  to  the  hearty  co-operation  of  everybody,  including 
the  Governor,  M.  de  Lamothe,  and  the  Naval  Commander, 
M.  Du  Rocher,  Baudry  had  got  everything  ready  for  me. 

There  was,  however,  no  time  to  be  lost.  An  accident  to 
her  screw  had  delayed  the  Brazil  three  days,  and  we  must 
start  immediately  for  the  Upper  Niger,  so  we  were  off  for 
St.  Louis  the  very  next  morning.  The  sections  of  the 
Davoust  were  of  an  awkward  shape,  and  being  only 
hastily  packed  and  tumbled  on  board  anyhow  at  Bour- 
deaux,  danced  a  regular  saraband  in  the  open  wagons  of 
the  line,  and  I  felt  rather  anxious  about  my  poor  vessel. 
But  never  mind,  she  would  have  plenty  of  bumping  about, 
later,  and  I  wasn't  going  to  make  myself  miserable  about 
her  on  this  auspicious  day. 

Just  a  couple  of  words  about  the  Dakar  St.  Louis 
railway.  The  Cayor,  as  the  country  it  traverses  is  called, 
is  slightly  undulating,  badly  watered,  and  dreary  looking. 
The  natives  living  in  it  were  hard  to  subdue.  In  continual 
revolt,  they  more  than  once  inflicted  real  disasters  on  the 
French  by  taking  them  by  surprise.  At  Thies  the  whole 
garrison  was  massacred,  at  M'  Pal  a  squadron  of  Spahis 
perished,  for  the  Cayor  had  chiefs  such  as  the  Darnels, 
Samba-Laobe  and  Lat-Dior,  the  last  champions  of  resistance 
who  became  illustrious  in  the  annals  of  Senegambia — real 


24 


THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE    NIGER 


heroes,  who  made  us  regret  that  it  was  impossible  to  win 
them  over  to  our  side. 

The  successive  governors  of  Senegambia  struggled  in 
vain  against  the  resistance  of  Cayor  to  their  authority,  and 
the  constant  insubordination  of  the  natives.  But  what 
Faidherbe,  Vinet-Laprade,  and  Briere  de  ITsle,  to  name 
but  the  most  celebrated,  failed  to  achieve  was  ac- 
complished   peacefully    by    the    railway   in    a   very    few 


PART   OF   THi:    DAKAR    SI 


years.  Nor  is  that  all,  for  many  tracts,  previously  barren 
and  uncultivated,  now  yield  large  crops  of  the  Arachis 
hypogea,  or  pea-nut,  which  are  taken  away  by  the  trains 
in  the  trading  season. 

Does  not  this  prove  how  true  it  is  that  peace  and 
commerce  advance  side  by  side  ;  that  the  best,  indeed  the 
only  way  to  pacify  a  country,  and  to  conciliate  the  inhabit- 
ants, is  to  give  them  prosperity  by  opening  up  outlets  for 
their  commerce  ? 


AN    ABORTIVE    START  25 

Hurrah,  then,  for  the  Dakar  St.  Louis  line !  Three 
cheers  for  it,  in  spite  of  the  delays  and  mistakes  which  were 
perhaps  made  when  it  was  begun. 

To  say  that  it  has  every  possible  and  desirable  comfort 
would  of  course  be  false.  In  the  hot  season  especially  it 
is  one  long  martyrdom  to  the  traveller,  a  foretaste  of  hell, 
and  the  advice  given  to  new-comers  at  Dakar  still  holds 
good — "  Take  ice,  plenty  of  ice,  with  you,  you  will  find  it 


RAILWAY   BUFFET   AT   TIVIVVANE. 


of  double  use,  to  freshen  up  your  drinks  by  the  way  and  to 
put  in  a  handkerchief  on  your  head  under  your  helmet. 
With  plenty  of  ice  you  may  perhaps  escape  without  getting 
fever  or  being  suffocated." 

The  trip  by  this  line,  which  no  European  would  care  to 
take  for  pleasure,  is  really  to  the  negroes  a  treat,  who  go  by 
the  train  as  an  amusement.  The  directors  did  not  count 
upon  receipts  from  the  blacks  when  they  started  the  line, 
especially  after  a  train  which  ran  off  the  metals  smashed  up 


26 


THE    EXPLORATION    OF    THE    NIGER 


a  whole  carriage  full  of  natives  against  a  huge  baobab  tree. 
Of  course,  when  that  happened  no  one  thought  the  negroes 
would  patronize  the  railway  again.  But  it  turned  out  quite 
the  contrary.  From  that  day  they  came  in  crowds,  but 
they  had  provided  themselves  with  talismans ! 

The  marabouts,  who  do  a  brisk  business  in  charms,  had 
simply  added  a  new  string  to  their  bow,  for  they  sold 
gris-gris  against  the  dangers  of  the  iron  road  ! 


THE   QUAY   AT   ST.    LOUIS. 


This  is  the  negro  all  over.  If  he  has  but  confidence  in 
his  gris-gris^  he  will  brave  a  thousand  dangers.  If  he  has 
but  confidence  in  his  chief,  he  will  follow  him  without 
hesitation,  and  without  faltering  to  the  end  of  the  world. 
Inspire  him  then  with  that  confidence,  and  you  will  be  able 
to  do  anything  with  him. 

Baudry  had  come  to  meet  me  on  the  line,  and  with  him 
was  a  negro  wrapped  up  in  a  tampasendbe,  or  native  shawl. 
This  man  was  Mandao,  the  interpreter  I  had  asked  for. 


AN   ABORTIVE    START 


27 


He  had  decided  to  go  with  us  without  a  moment's  hesi- 
tation. This  was  yet  another  trump  card  for  us,  and  all 
would  now  go  well. 

We  reached  St. 
Louis  at  six  o'clock  in 
the  evening  on  Janu- 
ary 17.  An  officer 
on  the  Staff  of  the 
Governor  was  waiting 
for  me.  M.  de  La- 
mothe,  who  was,  by 
the  way,  an  old  friend 
of  mine,  received  me 
most  graciously,  and  was  ready  to  do  everything  in  his 
power  to  help  me. 

The  Brieve  de  V Isle  of  the  Deves  and  Chaumet  company 
was  to  start  on  the   19th  for  the  upper  river.     She  was, 
however,  already  overloaded.     What  should  we  do  ?   Time 
was  pressing  ! 
On   the  morning  of  the   i8th  I 


A   STREET    IN   ST.    LOUIS. 


engaged  the  coolies  who 
were  to  follow  us. 
Most  of  them  were 
Sarracolais,  whose 
tribe  lives  on  the 
Senegal  between  Ba- 
kel  and  Kayes.  From 
amongst  a  hundred 
candidates  Baudry 
had  already  picked 
out  twelve,  and  to 
these  had  been  added 
a  second  master  pilot  belonging  to  the  local  station.  All 
these  were  experienced  campaigners,  who  had  long  been 
in  the  French  service ;  they  were  sturdy,  well-built  fellows, 


BOUBAKAR-SINGO. 


28 


THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE    NIGER 


eager  for  adventure.  I  had  but  to  eliminate  three,  and  to 
confirm  Baudry's  choice  of  the  others,  for  we  were  limited 
to  eight  men,  including  their  leader.  After  all,  however,  the 
coolies  were  dismissed  by  order  of  Governor  Grodet  before 
we  actually  started,  so  there  is  no  need  to  introduce  them 
more  particularly.  Boubakar-Singo,  the  second  leader, 
who  became  pilot  of  the  Davoiist^  alone  deserves  special 
mention.     He  was  a  splendid-looking   Sarracolais,  a  first- 


T 

. 

^^^^-  ^t^ 

imH 

I^^^BM^IiltMlSilillair'     rill 

ImHjHBi 

J 

THE   COOLIES   ENGAGED   AT   ST.    LOUIS. 


rate  sailor,  who,  when  a  storm  came  on,  would  jump  into 
the  water  stark  naked  intoning  all  the  prayers  in  his 
repertory. 

Our  coolies  engaged,  we  had  not  only  to  equip,  but  to 
dress  them.  We  set  them  to  work  at  once,  for  we  had 
already  solved  the  difficulty  of  how  best  to  transport  our 
stores.  The  governor  lent  us  a  thirty-five  ton  iron  lighter, 
into  which  we  stowed  away  everything,  and  the  Brieve  de 
r Isle  took  her  in  tow. 


AN   ABORTIVE    START  29 

It  was  not,  however,  without  considerable  trouble  that 
we  managed  the  stowing  away  of  all  our  goods,  but  we 
succeeded  somehow  in  being  ready  in  good  time.  On  the 
evening  of  the  19th  the  Brieve  weighed  anchor,  and  we 
started  for  the  upper  river  ;  our  friends  at  St.  Louis,  the 
Government  officials,  the  sailors,  the  tradespeople  waving 
their  hats  and  handkerchiefs  in  farewell,  and  shouting  out 
"  Good  luck." 

What  a  Noah's  ark  was  this  thirty-five  ton  barge  of  ours, 
and  what  a  mixed  cargo  she  carried,  with  our  bales  and 
her  sails,  not  to  speak  of  the  passengers !  coolies,  stately 
Moors,  sheep  and  women.  With  the  sails  of  the  Davoust 
we  rigged  up  a  kind  of  shed  in  the  stern  to  protect  all  these 
people,  who,  with  nothing  to  do  all  day,  crept  about  on  the 
sloping  roof  sunning  themselves  like  lizards.  We  turned 
the  two  days  during  which  we  were  towed  along  to  account 
by  going  over  our  numerous  bales  yet  once  more.  Strange 
to  say,  almost  incredible  indeed,  nothing  was  missing.  It 
was  worth  something  to  see  Bilali  Cumba,  a  herculean 
coolie,  pick  up  the  instruments,  weighing  in  their  galvanized 
case  more  than  240  lbs.,  as  easily  as  a  little  milliner  would 
lift  a  cardboard  box. 

It  was  Bilali  who  made  me  the  following  sensible  answer 
the  other  day,  when  we  had  given  out  wooden  spoons  to 
the  men  for  their  own  use.  Of  course,  like  all  negroes,  they 
ate  with  their  fingers,  making  their  porridge  up  into  a  ball, 
and  rolling  it  till  it  was  quite  hard  before  putting  it  into 
their  mouths.  I  was  laughing  at  Bilali  about  this  when  he 
said,  "  Friend,  tell  me  what  is  the  good  of  your  spoon  t " 
then  spreading  out  the  palms  of  his  toil-worn  hands  he 
added,   "  What  is  good  to  work  with  is  good  to  eat  with." 

As  Joan  of  Arc  with  her  flag,  he  dedicated  his  hands  to 
toil  and  honour  too. 

Our  trip  did  not  pass  off  without  certain  little  accidents ; 


THE    EXPLORATION    OF   THE    NIGER 


the  constant  splashing  of  the  water  loosened  the  joints  of 
the  barge,  and  we  had  to  stick  them  together  as  best  we 
could.  However,  we  arrived  on  the  23rd  at  Walalde,  then 
the  highest  navigable  point  of  the  river.  Probably  it  would 
be  possible  to  go  much  further  up,  as  far  as  Kaheide,  in 
fact,  at  all  times  of  the  year,  but  it  would  have  to  be  in 
boats  with  a  different  kind  of  keel  to  that  now  in  use,  and 
we  have  not  got  to  that  yet. 

The  Brieve  de  V Isle  now  left  us  to  descend  the   river 

again. 

Henceforth  we  were  to 
fly  with  our  own  wings. 
Painfully  and  slowly  we 
made  our  way  in  our 
thirty-five  ton  barge, 
towed  along  by  a  rope 
from  the  bank,  the  river 
gradually  widening  out 
as  we  passed  Kaheide, 
Matam,  Salde. 

Then,    alas !     we    got 
one  piece  of  bad  news  after  another. 

At  Salde  we  heard  of  the  death  of  Aube ;  at  Bakel  of 
the  massacre  of  Colonel  Bonnier  and  his  column. 

Too  much  fuss  has  been  made  about  these  glorious  deaths, 
say  many  foolish  critics.  Over  the  ashes  of  soldiers  killed 
in  battle,  there  has  been  too  much  heated  discussion.  Well, 
at  least,  hyaenas  only  do  their  terrible  work  at  night ! 

As  for  me,  I  lost  a  chief  whom  I  loved,  and  many  old 
comrades  with  whom  I  had  been  under  fire  or  in  garrison. 
Hastily  we  pushed  on  for  Bakel  and  Kayes,  eager  for 
further  news,  not  only  plunged  in  the  deepest  grief,  but 
somewhat  anxious  about  what  was  in  store  for  ourselves. 
On    February     13    we   arrived    at    Kayes.     I    went    at 


THE    '  BRIERE   DE   LISLE. 


THE   MARKET-PLACE    AT   ST.    LOUIS. 


mmm 

S^^hBi^M^J 

ff 

^■■■?:\  ^ '      '^'^r  ^  4 

m 

^ 

gr    ^ 

THE   MARKET-PLACE    AT   ST.    LOUIS, 


32 


THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 


once  with  Baudry  and  Mandao  to  the  Governor,  M.  Grodet, 
who  told  me  that  he  had  received  despatches  authorizing 
him  to  suspend  my  expedition,  and  to  employ  us  as  he 
liked !  Our  party  was  at  once  broken  up.  Baudry  was 
sent  to  make  forced  marches  to  the  Niger  to  escort  some 
convoys  of  provisions  on  their  way  to  re-victual  Tim- 
buktu.    I  should   be  disposed   of  later,  and,   as  a  matter 

of  fact,  I  was  event- 
ually sent  to  take 
command  of  the 
Niger  flotilla. 

I  must  quote  the 
actual  words  of  this 
despatch,  so  fatal  to 
us,  for  not  long  since 
M.  Grodet  was  de- 
fending himself  from 
the  charge  of  having 
been  somehow  the  cause  of  the  delay  to  our  expedition 
of  two  whole  years.  The  despatch  was  addressed — 
"  Colonies  a  Gouvermur,  Sudan','  and  ran  thus — '' Atitorise 
surseoir  Mission  Hourst,  et  disposer  de  cet  officicr!'  ^ 

As  will  be  observed,  the  Governor  of  the  Sudan  was 
authorized,  that  is  to  say,  he  could  do  as  suggested  or 
not,  to  suspend,  that  is  to  say,  to  stop  us,  for  the  limited  time 
which  seemed  desirable  to  him.  But  any  further  disputing 
about  it  would  do  no  good  now. 

One  remark,  however,  I  must  make :  we  were  stationary 
for  two  years  on  the  banks  of  the  Niger  above  Timbuktu, 
doing  no  particular  service  to  our  country.  Decceur,  Baud, 
and  others  were  marching  on  Say  from  Dahomey.  Can 
one   fail  to  see   what    immediate  political  and  diplomatic 

1  The  translator  thinks  it  best  to  give  the  actual  words  of  this 
celebrated  despatch,  which  caused  so  much  excitement  at  the  time. 


GOVERNMENT  HOUSE,  KAYES. 


AN   ABORTIVE    START  33 

advantages  would  have  accrued  to  France  from  a  junction 
which  would  have  united  the  hinterlands  of  the  two 
colonies? 

It  is  true  that  Decoeur  and  Baud  were  not  starting  from 
the  Sudan,  but  from  Dahomey,  where  Governor  Ballot  was 
sending  out  exploring  expeditions,  not  stopping  them. 

But  I  have  done.  It  is  worse  than  useless  to  dwell  on 
the  endless  petty  mortifications,  annoyances,  and  disap- 
pointments we  had  to  endure.  Useless  indeed  to  recall 
all  our  own  bitter  experiences,  which  could  but  damp  the 
enthusiasm  of  future  explorers  as  eager  to  advance  as  we 
were.  We  succeeded  in  spite  of  everything  in  making 
ourselves  useful.  Even  whilst  re-victualling  Timbuktu, 
which  was  threatened  with  famine — here  again  the  re- 
sponsibility rested  with  very  highly  placed  officials — I  was 
able  to  survey  the  whole  of  the  system  of  lakes  extending 
on  the  west  of  the  town. 

The  most  important  of  these  lakes,  Faguibine,  is  a 
regular  inland  sea,  with  its  islets,  its  promontories,  and  its 
storms.  It  is  a  vast  basin  nearly  68  miles  long  by  12 
broad,  with  a  depth,  which  we  sounded,  exceeding  here  and 
there  160  feet.  It  is  fed  by  the  Niger  when  that  river 
is  in  flood.  We  made  a  peaceful  raid  on  this  fine  sheet 
of  water  in  the  Aube,  a  boat  I  shall  introduce  to  you  later, 
whilst  the  terrible  Ngouna  chief  of  the  hostile  Kel  Antassar 
tribe  retreated  from  us  along  its  banks.  Here  for  the  first 
time  I  came  into  actual  contact  with  the  Tuaregs. 

Baudry  meanwhile  explored  the  Issa-Ber  (already  visited 
by  Caron)  in  his  barge,  and  proved  the  navigability  of  the 
river  at  high  tide. 

I  feel  full  of  respectful  gratitude  to  the  military  authorities 
of  Timbuktu,  especially  Colonels  Joffre  and  Ebener,  for 
the  almost  affectionate  consideration  with  which  they 
treated  me,  and  for  being  willing  to  employ  us,  for  giving 


34  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

us  something  definite  to  do  to  relieve  the  monotony  and 
ennui  of  our  detention.  This  was  really  an  immense 
consolation  to  us,  the  best  that  any  officer  can  hope  for. 

In  May  1895  I  received  orders  to  return  to  France. 
Baudry,  who,  I  am  happy  to  say,  was  worn  out  mentally 
rather  than  physically,  had  preceded  me  by  two  months. 
As  already  stated,  our  coolies  had  been  disbanded — from 
motives  of  economy,  said  the  order.  Our  stores,  too,  were 
dispersed.  Our  boat  was  still  at  Bafulabe,  and,  7non  DieUy 
in  what  a  state !  One  might  have  sworn  that  its  sections 
had  been  intentionally  twisted  out  of  shape  with  blows 
from  a  hammer.  Our  chronometers — little  torpedo-boat 
watches,  regular  masterpieces  of  precise  time-keeping,  made 
by  that  true  artist  M.  Thomas — were  being  used  at  Badumbe 
in  the  telegraph  office.  Our  bales,  of  the  charge  of  which 
I  had  never  been  relieved,  had  been  sent  to  Mopti  for  the 
Destenave  expedition,  which  had  been  allowed  to  start. 
My  friends  in  France,  to  whom  I  had  addressed  despairing 
appeals,  remained  silent ;  even  Baudry  gave  not  a  sign  of 
life. 

Everything  seemed  finally  lost.  My  expedition  had  not 
been  superseded,  it  had  been  dissolved,  destroyed. 

I  confess  that  when  I  embarked  once  more  in  the  winter 
to  make  my  way,  by  slow  stages,  back  to  France,  I  did 
for  the  first  time  despair  of  my  unlucky  schemes,  and  as 
I  dwelt  upon  them,  I  believed  that  they  were  at  an  end 
for  ever. 

I  had  at  least  the  consolation,  as  Davoust  had  had 
before  me,  of  having  struggled  to  the  last. 

On  July  20,  when  I  was  halting  at  Bafulabe,  and  gazing 
with  inward  rage  though  outward  calm  at  the  dented 
sections  of  my  Davoust,  a  telegram  was  handed  to  me.  It 
was  from  Colonel  De  Trentinian,  who  had — at  last! — 
succeeded  M.  Grodet  as  Governor  of  the  French  Sudan. 


AN   ABORTIVE    START  35 

It  said,  "  The  Colonial  Minister  resumes  the  original 
project  of  your  expedition." 

I  have  had  a  few  minutes  of  wild  joy  and  happiness  in 
my  life.  But  not  even  on  the  day  when,  after  I  had  been 
struggling  nearly  a  month  against  fearful  odds  in  the 
revolted  district  of  Diena,  I  saw  the  column  of  succour 
approaching ;  nor  again,  last  December,  when,  as  we 
embarked  at  Marseilles,  I  thought  all  our  difficulties  were 
surmounted  and  all  our  dangers  were  left  behind,  did  I 
experience  such  an  immense  sense  of  relief  and  delight  as 
now.  I  could  keep  my  oath  after  all !  and  by  successful 
action  put  to  confusion  those  who,  either  because  they  were 
badly  advised  or  unscrupulous,  had  thrown  obstacles  in  our 
way. 

This  is  what  had  happened. 

In  France  they  say  the  absent  are  always  in  the  wrong, 
and  our  story  goes  to  prove  it.  Of  all  those  who,  when  I 
left,  had  protested  their  devotion,  had  congratulated  me 
in  advance,  who  had  even  warmly  embraced  me,  scarcely 
any — I  had  almost  said  not  one — had  taken  our  part  or 
pleaded  for  us.  In  France,  scientific  societies,  geographical 
and  others,  spring  up  like  mushrooms,  and  form  little  cliques, 
hating  each  other  like  poison,  and  losing  no  opportunities 
of  abusing  each  other  in  their  speeches  and  declamations 
at  their  various  banquets.  Without  running  any  risk  them- 
selves, or  making  any  special  exertion,  their  big-wigs 
— I  was  nearly  saying  their  shareholders — get  a  lot  of 
notoriety  and  patting  on  the  back,  through  the  work 
of  a  few  members  who  are  toiling  far  away  from  home. 

If  you  ask  their  help  in  your  difficulties,  or  even  their 
moral  support,  they  take  absolutely  no  notice  of  you  ;  but 
later,  when  you  return,  and  have  extricated  yourself  from 
your  troubles  by  your  own  unaided  efforts,  and  if  you  are 
also  very  docile,  they  will  make  no  end  of  noisy  fuss  over  you. 


36  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

I  have  often  thought  of  these  scientific  swells  when  I 
have  watched  negro  chiefs  marching  along  followed  by 
their  satellites.  They  strut  about,  playing  on  the  flute  or 
the  fiddle,  beating  their  drums  and  shouting  out  compliments 
in  a  deafening  manner.  Every  epithet  seems  suitable  to 
their  chief ;  he  is  their  sun,  their  moon,  and  all  the  rest  of 
it.  "  Thou  art  my  father,  thou  art  my  mother,  I  am  thy 
captive  !  "  they  shout. 

But  when  adversity  overtakes  this  flattered  chief  of  theirs, 
when  he  is  in  trouble  of  any  kind,  gets  the  worst  of  it  in 
some  skirmish,  for  instance,  what  becomes  of  all  the  toad- 
eating  satellites  ?  They  melt  away,  to  go  and  offer  their 
incense  of  flute  and  violin  playing  and  bell-ringing  to  some 
more  fortunate  favourite  of  the  hour. 

Oh,  these  self-interested  sycophants,  how  well  I  know 
them! 

I  have,  however,  a  grateful  pleasure  in  adding  that  there 
are  exceptions  to  the  rule.  I  will  mention  but  one  here. 
My  dear  and  venerated  friend,  M.  Gauthiot,  chief  secretary 
of  the  Societe  de  Geographic  Commerciale,  was  always  ready 
to  cheer  us  in  our  hours  of  discouragement,  to  aid  us  in 
our  hopeful  days  ;  putting  at  our  disposal  all  his  influence, 
all  his  persuasive  power,  and  exercising  on  our  behalf 
the  undoubted  authority  he  possessed  in  all  things 
geographical  and  colonial. 

Directly  he  reached  Paris  Baudry  went  to  seek  him,  not 
of  course  without  some  arriej'e  pensee.  "  Well,  how  goes  the 
mission  ?  "  he  asked  at  once.  "  Done  for,  unless  you  can  save 
us,"  was  the  reply.  "  I'll  see  about  it,"  said  M.  Gauthiot  at  once. 

Then  he  went  to  my  old  friend  Marchand,  who  was 
expected  to  do  such  great  things  on  the  Congo.  "  And 
Hourst  and  the  descent  of  the  Niger?"  "You  see  what 
has  come  of  that,"  was  the  answer.  "  Well,  perhaps 
something  may  yet  be  done." 


AN   ABORTIVE   START  37 

Both  did  their  utmost  for  us,  but  it  was  M.  Gauthiot  who 
took  the  last  redoubt.  The  money  question  appeared  to 
be  the  greatest  difficulty,  for  they  were  trying  to  cut  down 
the  expenditure  budget  as  much  as  possible.  "  Monsieur  le 
Ministre"  said  my^  friend,  " I  have  come  with  my  hands 
full ! "  And  five  thousand  francs  were  in  fact  voted  for  my 
exploring  expedition  by  the  Comite  de  VAfrique  Franqaise. 

In  a  word,  the  efforts  of  our  new  allies  turned  the  scale  in 
our  favour. 

At  that  time  M.  Chautemps  was,  fortunately  for  us, 
Colonial  Minister,  whilst  M.  Chaudie  was  Governor- General 
of  French  West  Africa,  and  Colonel  (now  General)  Ar- 
chinard  Director  of  Colonial  Defence,  and  it  was  on  these 
three  that  the  final  order  depended.  I  need  only  add,  that 
they,  with  M.  Gauthiot,  became  the  four  sponsors  of  the 
re-organized  expedition,  and  we  are  full  of  respectful  grati- 
tude to  them  all. 

"  All  I  had  to  do  in  the  matter,"  said  Baudry  to  me, 
"was  simply  to  put  in  an  appearance." 

I  alluded  above  to  the  question  of  funds.  Well,  the 
whole  thing  was  re-arranged  on  a  fresh  footing,  otherwise 
the  conditions  were  less  favourable  than  they  had  been  two 
years  before.  Nothing  had  changed  with  regard  to  the 
Tuaregs,  but  news  had  come  by  way  of  the  Sudan  that 
Amadu  Cheiku,  the  dethroned  Sultan  of  Sego,  was  trying 
to  re-establish  an  empire  on  the  banks  of  the  Niger.  Then 
the  Toutee  expedition  was  already  on  its  way  ;  no  news 
had  been  received  from  it,  and  it  is  often  more  difficult  to 
be  second  than  first  in  traversing  a  new  district. 

Colonel  Archinard,  therefore,  wished  to  increase  the 
strength  of  our  expedition  considerably.  To  begin  with,  we 
were  to  have  three  barges  instead  of  one,  and  that  meant 
twenty  coolies  instead  of  eight.  Then  Lieutenant  Bluzet, 
who,  though  still  of  low  rank  in  the  service,  was  quite  an  old 


38  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE    NIGER 

and  experienced  officer  of  the  French  Sudan,  was  to  take 
charge  of  the  military  training  of  our  men.  "  Take  a 
doctor  too,"  said  the  Colonel,  "  he  will  make  one  more  gun 
at  least ; "  and  I  choose  Dr.  Taburet,  who  had  been  my 
medical  adviser  with  the  Niger  flotilla,  engaging  his  services 
by  telegram. 

All  this  of  course  added  to  the  expense,  and  it  was  no 
easy  matter  to  balance  the  accounts  of  so  big  an  expedition 
with  so  very  small  abudget.  However,  we  managed  to  do  it 
somehow :  Bluzet  and  Baudry  made  advances  from  their 
pay,  and  Bolard  went  on  campaign  once  more  with  all  his 
usual  zeal  and  energy. 

"  You  start  four,"  said  Marchand  to  Baudry,  when  he  saw 
him  off  at  the  Orleans  station,  "  only  one  will  return!  " 

Thank  God,  however,  we  all  came  back  ! 

Directly  I  received  the  telegram  from  Colonel  de  Tren- 
tinian  I  set  to  work  without  losing  a  moment.  I  had  to 
collect  all  our  scattered  stores  again  at  Bafulabe  from  here, 
there,  and  everywhere.  The  Davoust  had  to  be  got  into 
working  order,  and  the  only  way  to  do  that  was  to  put 
her  together  and  launch  her,  there  would  then  be  no 
unnecessary  delay  when  the  time  for  starting  came.  I  was 
aided  in  this  by  a  quarter-master  with  a  turn  for  mechanics, 
a  man  named  Sauzereau,  who  had  already  rendered  me 
great  service  when  I  had  charge  of  the  Niger  flotilla.  It  was 
hard  work,  but  we  succeeded,  and  it  was  a  happy  day  when 
we  baptized  our  boat  by  her  already  chosen  name  of 
Davoust  at  the  little  station  of  Bafulabe.  It  was  the  first 
time  she  had  been  afloat  since  we  tried  her  near  the  Pont 
Royal  in  Paris.  A  missionary  from  Dinguira  had  come 
over  at  considerable  inconvenience  on  purpose  to  pro- 
nounce a  benediction  over  her.  Colonel  de  Trentinian 
was  good  enough  to  travel  from  Kayes  to  be  present, 
and    I    can    tell   you   my  Davoust   presented  a  very  fine 


AN   ABORTIVE    START  39 

appearance  on  the  Bakhoy.  I  would  rather  see  her  there 
than  on  the  Seine.  Digui,  who  had  been  second  master 
pilot  on  the  Niger  flotilla,  and  whom  I  had  chosen  as 
Captain  in  place  of  Bubakar,  dismissed,  was  delighted 
with  his  boat. 

When  all  was  counted  over,  there  were  many  missing 
loads.  Fortunately  Captain  Destenaves  had  only  brought 
a  few  of  the  valuable  bales  to  Mossi,  the  rest  were  at 
Sego,  but  of  the  tins  of  preserves  and  other  provisions 
nothing  was  left  but  one  case  of  fine  Cognac,  which,  taken 
in  very  small  doses,  was  our  greatest  luxury.  There  was 
still  a  little  left  a  year  later  when  we  were  at  Fort 
Archinard.  See  how  temperate  we  were  !  Baudry's 
bicycle,  which  we  had  baptized  Suzanne,  I  don't  know  why, 
was  in  a  pitiable  state  when  we  found  her  again.  But 
Sauzereau  was  a  specialist  in  such  cases,  and  she  was  soon 
rolling  along  the  Badumbe  road,  to  the  great  astonishment 
of  the  blacks. 

I  had  now  nothing  more  to  do  but  to  wait  for  Baudry  at 
Kayes.  I  went  down  there,  and  one  fine  morning  he  flung 
himself  into  my  arms  with  Bluzet  and  twenty  coolies  behind 
him.  Of  course  with  regard  to  the  coolies  I  speak  figura- 
tively. With  a  view  to  economy  these  coolies  had  not  been 
rigged  out,  and  they  really  looked  like  a  band  of  brigands. 
Still  they  impressed  me  very  favourably.  I  knew  several 
of  them,  who  had  already  served  under  me.  They  were 
not,  it  is  true,  quite  equal  to  those  I  had  engaged  at  first, 
and  been  obliged  to  disband  by  order  of  the  Governor,  but 
they  were  not  bad  fellows,  and  they  would  get  into  good 
working  order  by  the  way. 

All  had  gone  well  with  Baudry  and  Bluzet  ;  they  had 
even  found  time  on  board  the  boat,  which  had  brought 
them  up  from  St.  Louis,  to  make  up  some  rhymes,  and 
in  the  evening,  after  copious  libations — I  mean  copious  for 


40 


THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 


Africa — we  had  the   honour   of  listening   to  a  sonnet  of 
which  they  were  the  joint  authors.     Here  it  is  : 


NIGHT  ON  THE  RIVER. 

Slow  through  the  reaches  of  the  oily  stream, 
Unshapely,  huge,  and  heap'd  with  cumbrous  freight, 
The  steamer  drags  along  its  ponderous  weight, 
And  panting,  breathes  a  cloud  of  eddying  steam  ; 

Upon  the  deck  the  wearied  negroes  dream, 

In  sleep's  fine  thraldom — humble,  candid,  great, — 

While  overhead  the  moon  in  regal  state 

Trails  robes  of  gauze  enmesh'd  with  astral  gleam. 

The  misty  night  exhales  a  poisonous  balm 

From  vague-spread  margins,  where  the  shadows  lie, 

Of  softly-tufted  bush  and  tropic  palm  ; 

Then  from  the  silence,  echoless,  on  high 
Mounts  through  the  torpor  of  the  deadly  calm, 
To  ethereal  plains  the  siren's  piercing  cry. 


ON    THK    SENEGAL 


EN   ROUTE. 


CHAPTER  II 


FROM   KAYES   TO   TIMBUKTU 

On  October  lo,  1895,  ^ve  finally  left  Kayes.  Our 
packages  had  been  piled  up  the  evening  before  in  three 
railway  wagons,  and  our  party  now  took  their  places 
in  the  carriages.  Baudry,  Bluzet,  and  Sauzereau  our 
engineer,  who  were  to  go  up  in  the  Davoust^  remained,  and 
the  rest  of  my  staff  were  the  following  :  the  second  master 
pilot,  Samba  Amadi,  generally  called  Digui,  a  man  of 
colossal  height  and  herculean  strength,  but  more  remark- 
able still  for  his  zeal,  his  fidelity,  and  his  nautical  skill ; 
the  native  interpreter  Suleyman  Gundiamu,  who  had  been 
to  Timbuktu  with  Caron  as  one  of  his  coolies  ;  the  Arabic 
translator,  Abdulaye  Dem,  a  cunning  and  intelligent  little 
Toucouleur,  more  cultivated  than  most  of  the  negro 
marabouts ;  and  twenty  coolies,  or  native  sailors. 

41 


42 


THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE    NIGER 


We  reached  Bafolabe  in  the  evening  without  incident. 
A  ferry-boat  took  us  across  the  Bafing,  one  of  the  two 
rivers  which  unite  to  form  the  Senegal.  A  road  some  two 
feet  wide  starts  from  the  right  bank  of  the  Bafing,  and 
follows  the  course  of  the  other  affluent,  the  Bakhoy,  to 
the  village  of  Djubeba,  where  we  camped  on  the  evening  of 
the  13th. 

Thus  far  our  journey  had  been  effected  by  the  aid  of 


LEFEBVRE   CARTS   UNHARNESSED. 


very  civilized  means  of  transport.     On  leaving  Djubeba, 
however,  our  difficulties  were  to  begin. 

The  carriage,  or  rather  cart,  which  is  used  in  the  French 
Sudan  for  taking  down  provisions  and  other  necessaries  to 
our  different  stations  on  the  Niger  is  of  the  kind  known  as 
the  Lefebvre,  about  which  there  was  so  much  talk  during 
the  Madagascar  expedition.  It  consists  of  a  big  case  of 
sheet  iron  mounted  on  a  crank  axle,  and  provided  with 
two  wheels.     It  is  drawn  by  a  mule. 


FROM    KAYES    TO   TIMBUKTU  43 

Is  it  an  ideal  equipage  ?  or  is  it  as  bad  as  it  is  painted  ? 
I  do  not  venture  to  decide  the  question.  The  truth, 
perhaps,  lies  between  the  two  extremes.  On  the  one 
hand,  these  carts  were  always  able  to  follow  our  troops 
in  the  Sudan ;  but  on  the  other,  their  intrinsic  weight 
might  very  w^ell  be  lessened.  The  chief  advantage  of 
metal  rather  than  of  wooden  carts,  is  that  they  are  water- 
tight, and  that  when  unloaded  they  can  be  floated  across 


LOADING  OUR   CONVOY. 


streams  or  rivers,  but  as  I  have  never  seen  a  Lefebvre  cart 
execute  this  manoeuvre,  I  feel  a  little  sceptical  about  it 
still. 

When  the  packages  to  be  carried  are  small,  compact, 
and  about  the  same  size  and  shape,  it  is  easy  enough  to 
stow  them  away,  but  this  was  by  no  means  the  case  with 
ours,  and  our  large  packages  would  be  fearfully  difficult  to 
arrange  and  balance  in  the  heavy  metal  carts. 

On  the  14th  the  mules  arrived,  some  of  which  were  to 


44  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE    NIGER 

be  harnessed  to  the  carts,  whilst  others  were  to  carry  pack- 
saddles.  The  whole  of  that  day  and  the  next  were 
occupied  in  the  arranging  and  loading. 

The  sections  of  the  Davoiist  could  not,  of  course,  have 
been  carried  in  carts  in  any  case.  I  had  asked  for  seventy 
porters  to  take  charge  of  them,  and  these  porters  arrived 
in  the  evening.  There  was  nothing  now  to  prevent  our 
starting. 

The  route  from  the  French  Sudan,  so  often  traversed  to 
re-victual  our  stations,  has  been  too  many  times  described 
for  me  to  pause  to  speak  of  the  stages  by  which  the 
traveller  passes  from  the  banks  of  the  Senegal  to  those  of 
the  Niger.  For  us,  the  usual  difficulties  were  increased  by 
the  variety  of  our  means  of  transport,  including  as  they 
did  carts,  mules  with  pack-saddles,  and  porters.  More- 
over, ours  was  the  first  convoy  which  had  passed  over  the 
route  since  the  winter,  and  the  road  had  not  yet  been 
mended  all  the  way.  The  first  few  days  were  very  tiring, 
and  men  and  animals  were  all  alike  done  up  when  we 
reached  our  first  halting-place  a  little  after  noon.  But 
every  one  did  his  best,  and  became  more  skilful  at  manag- 
ing, so  that  in  three  days  after  the  start  our  black  fellows 
were  as  well  up  to  their  work  as  we  were  ourselves. 

This  was  our  general  mode  of  dividing  the  day.  At 
two  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  blowing  of  a  horn  roused 
everybody ;  the  drivers  gave  the  animals  their  nose-bags 
containing  a  few  handfuls  of  millet  to  keep  up  their  strength 
on  the  road  ;  Bluzet,  to  whose  special  care  I  had  confided 
the  porters,  collected  his  people,  whilst  our  cook  quickly 
warmed  for  each  of  us  a  cup  of  coffee  which  had  been 
prepared  overnight.  An  hour  later  we  were  off,  the  porters 
leading  the  way,  our  path  lighted  by  torches  of  twisted 
straw,  the  fitful  gleam  of  which  made  our  negroes  look  like 
a  troop  of  devils  come  to  hold  their  sabbat  in  Central  Africa. 


FROM   KAYES   TO   TIMBUKTU 


45 


Bluzet  rides  at  the  head  of  the  caravan,  looking  back 
every  now  and  then,  whilst  two  or  three  coolies  run  in  the 
rear  or  on  the  flanks  of  our  little  column,  like  sheep  dogs 
keeping  a  flock  together.     About  a  hundred  yards  behind 


LIEUTENANT  BLUZET. 


the  carts  come  jolting  along  on  their  rumbling  iron  wheels, 
whilst  the  pack  animals  bring  up  the  rear. 

For  one  moment  we  file  silently  through  the  hush  and 
calm  of  the  tropical  night,  only  broken  by  the  cry  of  some 
bird,  or  the  tap-tap  of  the  Sudan  woodpecker.  But 
presently  we  come  to  a  big  hole  in  the  ground,  there  is  a 
shout  of  "  Attention — Kini  bulo  !  "  (to  the  right),  and  from 
one  leader  to  another  the  cry  Kini  bulo  !  is  repeated,  and 


46  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

averts  a  catastrophe  by  letting  every  one  know  how  to  avoid 
the  obstacle.  A  great  galloping  now  ensues  to  catch  up 
the  leading  cart,  and  this  time  the  difficult  place  is  passed 
without  accident ;  but  often  enough  a  wheel  slips  into  the 
bog,  and  in  spite  of  all  the  poor  mule's  tugging  at  her 
collar  there  it  sticks.  We  all  have  to  rush  to  the  rescue, 
drivers  and  coolies  literally  put  their  shoulders  to  the 
wheel,  and  with  shouts  of  encouragement  and  oaths  they 


CROSSING    A    >rARIGOT. 


finally  extricate  it.     It  is  out  again  at  last,  and  we  resume 
our  march. 

Then  we  come  perhaps  to  what  is  called  a  marigot  in 
West  Africa,  that  is  to  say,  a  little  stream  which  is  dried 
up  part  of  the  year,  and  is  a  characteristic  feature  of  the 
country.  Before  the  rainy  season  it  has  probably  been 
bridged  roughly  over,  and  a  few  planks  have  been  thrown 
down  at  its  edge,  but  in  the  torrential  downpours  of  rain 
of  the  winter  the  planks  have  sunk,  and  the  bridge  has 


FROM    KAYES   TO   TIMBUKTU 


47 


been  partially  destroyed.  We  have  to  call  a  halt ;  to  cut 
wood  and  grass  to  mend  the  bridge,  and  carry  stones  and 
earth  to  make  stepping-stones,  etc.,  so  that  it  is  often  an 
hour  or  two  before  we  can  get  across. 

But  now  the  horizon  begins  to  glow  with  warm  colour. 
The  sun  is  rising,  and  as  it  gradually  appears,  its  rays,  which 
are  not  yet  powerful  enough  to  scorch  us,  softened  as  they 
are  by  the  mists  of  the  early  morning,  give  a  fresh  impulse 


WE   ALL  HAVE   TO   RUSH   TO   THE  RESCUE. 


to  the  whole  caravan.  One  of  the  drivers  gives  a  loud  cry, 
alike  shrill  and  hoarse :  it  is  the  beginning  of  a  native 
chant,  in  which  the  names  of  chiefs  and  heroes  of  the  past, 
such  as  Sundiata,  Sumanguru,  Monson,  and  Bina  Ali,  occur 
again  and  again.  The  singer's  comrades  take  up  the  refrain 
in  muffled  tones.  Then  another  negro  brings  out  of  his 
goat-skin  bag  a  flute  made  of  a  hollow  bamboo  stem,  and 
for  hours  at  a  time  keeps  on  emitting  from  it  six  notes, 
always  the  same.     The  porters  also  have  their  music,  and 


48 


THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE    NIGER 


OMX griot^  Wali  leads  them  on  a  kind  of  primitive  harp  with 
cat-gut  strings,  made  of  a  calabash  and  a  bit  of  twisted 
wood,  from  which  hang  little  plaques  of  tin,  which  tinkle 
when  the  instrument  is  played. 

And  so  we  leave  the  long  miles  behind  us.  Every  other 
hour  we  let  the  men  and  beasts  have  ten  minutes'  rest,  until 
the  moment  arrives  when  we  catch  sight  amongst  the  trees 


OUR  TETHERED   MULES. 


of  the  pointed  thatched  roofs  or  the  flat  terraces  of  mud 
huts  of  the  village  at  which  we  are  to  camp. 

The  mules  are  unharnessed  or  unsaddled,  as  the  case 
may  be,  and  tethered  in  a  row  by  ropes  fastened  to  one 
foot,  whilst  the  carts  are  packed  like  artillery.  Presently 
we  shall  take  the  animals  to  drink  at  a  neighbouring 
stream,  and  then  their  food  will  be  thrown  down  before 
them,  and  they  will  fling  themselves  upon  it  like  gluttons, 

^  Agriot  is  a  superior  negro,  who  acts  as  interpreter,  etc. —  Trans. 


FROM    KAYES    TO   TIMBUKTU  49 

eating  the  grain  at  once,  but  chewing  the  straw  for  the  rest 
of  the  day. 

Just  a  glance  now  over  the  loads  to  see  that  all  is 
right.  Nothing  is  missing.  That's  a  good  job !  Mean- 
while our  black  cook  has  set  up  his  saucepan  on  three 
stones,  and  a  folding  table  has  been  opened  beside  some 
rapidly  constructed  grass  huts  which  smell  delicious. 
Breakfast  over,  we  give  ourselves  up  to  the  delights  of  a 
siesta. 

In  the  afternoon  we  go  and  look  at  the  animals,  who 
refreshed  by  their  rest,  joyfully  prick  up  their  ears  at  our 
approach.  They  are  good  beasts,  these  mules,  or  Fali-Ba 
(big  asses),  as  the  negroes  call  them.  They  were  torn  from 
their  native  land,  Algeria,  huddled  together  between-decks 
on  some  crowded  boat,  where  they  suffered  much  from  the 
motion,  and  were  then  taken  to  Kayes,  where  fresh  martyr- 
dom awaited  them.  Beneath  the  broiling  sun  to  which  they 
have  never  been  accustomed,  they  have  to  drag  their  carts, 
as  a  convict  does  his  chain.  Instead  of  the  barley  and 
oats  of  their  own  land,  they  have  to  put  up  with  hard  and 
bitter  millet,  instead  of  scented  hay  they  get  the  coarse 
rough  grass  of  the  Sudan.  As  long  as  they  live — and  that 
won't  be  more  than  five  years  at  the  most — they  will  have 
to  plod  along  the  same  road  again  and  again,  and  cross 
the  same  marigots,  until  the  moment  of  release  comes, 
when  they  will  fall  between  their  shafts,  and  their  emaciated 
bodies  will  be  thrown  aside  in  the  bush,  there  to  feast  the 
hysena  and  the  jackal,  whose  jarring  laugh  and  shriek  so 
often  disturb  the  rest  of  the  weary  traveller. 

Was  it  the  heat  of  the  African  sun,  I  wonder,  which  con- 
verted some  of  the  members  of  our  expedition  into  poets, 
and  led  to  such  outpourings  as  I  quote  below  ?  I  cannot 
say,  but  these  are  the  words  written  by  one  of  our  party 
to  the  manes  of  the  Fali-Ba,  who  have  fallen  beneath  the 


50  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

burning  sky  of  the  Sudan.     I  pray  critics  to  be  merciful 
to  these  inter-tropical  effusions. 

THE  TETHERED  MULE. 

With  lean  neck  stretch'd  toward  the  scattered  grain, 
He  scents  his  provender  with  dainty  air, 
Casts  one  side  glance  at  his  companions  there. 
And  beats  with  twitching  ear  a  glad  refrain. 

Gone  all  remembrance  of  the  anguish'd  strain 
'Neath  kicks  and  blows,  and  'neath  the  scorching  glare 
Of  torrid  skies  above  the  hillside  bare, 
And  of  the  toil  that  ever  comes  again. 

His  banquet  ended,  calmly  he  digests, 
"While  o'er  him  sweeps  a  most  divine  repose  : 
Faintly  in  dreams  his  memory  suggests 

Long  lost  repasts,  whereat  his  dark  eye  glows  ; 
Thus,  bathed  in  vague  nostalgia,  he  rests. 
While  through  the  bush  the  sunset  tremor  flows. 

At  last  the  sun  sets,  the  sentinels  are  chosen  and  posted 
for  the  night,  and  we  gather  once  more  round  our  little 
table  for  supper,  chatting  now  about  our  plans  for  the 
future,  now  about  the  past,  telling  stories  which  ere  long 
will  become  so  familiar  that  we  could  all  repeat  them  by 
heart  and  give  them  each  a  number  of  its  own.  Then  one 
after  the  other  we  retire  to  our  camp-beds  to  enjoy  such 
repose  as  the  horrible  mosquitoes,  which  are  so  clever  in 
finding  the  tiniest  holes  in  the  nets,  will  allow,  till  the 
morning  reveil  is  sounded  on  the  horn,  and  we  begin  another 
day,  exactly  like  its  predecessor. 

Such  was  our  life  for  twenty  days,  with  slight  variations, 
such  as  the  crossing  of  rivers,  the  over-turning  of  carts 
through  the  breaking  of  axles  or  shafts,  etc. 

At  Kita,  however,  a  very  unusual  thing  occurred  :  we 
were  able  to  indulge  in  a  bicycle  race.  Our  own  bicycle, 
which  we  had  called  Suzanne,  met  a  rival.    After  all  she  was 


FROM    KAYES    TO    TIMBUKTU 


51 


not  the  first  comer  to  the  French  Sudan,  for  a  trader  at 
Kita  owned  another.  The  match  took  place  near  the  post- 
office,  on  a  really  excellent  course,  and  Suzanne  won, 
although  she  was  not,  like  her  antagonist,  provided  with 
pneumatic  tyres.     During  the  race  we  were  entertained  by 


DOCTOR   TABURET. 


the  playing  of  a  band  of  little  negroes  under  the  care  of  the 
Peres  du  Saint  Esprit.  The  boys,  who  were  some  of  them 
scarcely  as  big  as  their  instruments,  gave  us  several  charm- 
ing selections  from  their  repertory.  Their  conductor  was 
Brother  Marie  Abel,  who  with  his  long  beard  towered  above 
his  troupe,  and  reminded  me  of  pictures  of  the  Heavenly 
Father   surrounded    by    cherubs,  only  these   cherubs    had 


52  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

passed  under  the  blacking  brush.  You  see  we  were  not 
without  amusements  in  the  Sudan. 

On  November  8  we  reached  Bamako,  and  after  a  day's 
rest  started  for  Kolikoro,  which  was  the  last  stage  of  our 
journey  by  land,  for  we  were  now  to  become  sailors. 

On  the  eve  of  our  arrival,  as  we  were  breakfasting  at 
Tolimandio,  who  should  suddenly  appear  but  our  good 
friend  Dr.  Taburet,  hot,  perspiring,  and  out  of  breath  with 
the  haste  he  had  made  to  join  us.  I  have  already  said  that 
the  two  barges,  the  Enseigne  Aube  and  the  Dantec,  belonging 
to  the  Niger  flotilla,  had  been  placed  at  my  service. 
Taburet,  who  had  received  my  telegram,  had  come  from 
Jenne  to  Sego,  and  taken  the  boats  to  Kolikoro.  Then, 
eager  to  be  en  route,  he  had  gone  up  stream  on  the 
Dantec  as  far  as  Tolimandio  in  advance  of  us. 

We  plied  each  other  with  questions,  of  course.  Taburet 
knew  only  one  thing,  and  that  was  that  he  meant  to  ac- 
company me  on  my  expedition.  I  had  to  tell  him  all  that 
had  happened  since  our  parting  in  June,  and  we  made  the 
last  stage  of  our  journey  to  Kolikoro  riding  side  by  side, 
and  discussing  every  detail  of  our  plans. 

Kolikoro,  or  more  correctly  perhaps,  Korokoro,  which 
means  the  old  rock,  was  well  known  to  me.  I  had  stopped 
there  in  1889  with  the  Niger  flotilla  for  nearly  a  year. 
It  occupies  an  extremely  important  position,  marking  as  it 
does  the  highest  navigable  point  of  the  central  stretch  of 
the  Niger.  Of  course  it  is  possible  to  go,  as  Taburet  had 
just  done,  as  far  as  Tolimandio,  or  even  to  Manambugu,  at 
very  high  tide,  but  on  account  of  the  numerous  impediments 
in  the  bed  of  the  stream,  it  is  far  better  to  stop  at  Kolikoro, 
which  has,  moreover,  other  advantages  in  its  favour. 

I  was  indeed  glad  when  we  came  in  sight  of  the  curiously 
abrupt  outlines  of  the  hill  overlooking  the  village.  This 
hill  is  surmounted  by  a  plateau  on  which  we  had  camped 


54  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

once  before,  and  there  is  a  legend  connected  with  it  and 
Kolikoro,  relating  to  the  exploits  of  Somangoro,  and  the 
long  struggle  which  was  at  one  time  maintained  between 
the  Soninke  of  the  Niger  districts  and  the  Malinke  from 
Kita. 

Sundiata  was  the  seventh  son  of  a  hunter  of  Kita  and  a 
native  woman  of  Toron.  He  was  stunted  and  deformed 
from  his  birth,  and  could  never  go  with  his  brothers  to  the 
chase,  or  bring  home  game  for  his  mother.  She  was 
ashamed  of  him,  and  went  so  far  as  to  curse  the  boy  who 
did  her  so  little  credit.  "  Better  death  than  dishonour," 
said  Sundiata.  '■' Moun  kafisa  inalo  di  torol'  so  runs  the 
refrain  sung  by  the  negroes.  He  fled  to  the  woods,  and 
there  he  met  a  sorceress,  who  by  means  of  her  charms 
converted  the  cripple  into  the  strongest  warrior  of  the 
district.  He  went  back  to  his  father,  and  pretending  to  be 
still  infirm,  he  asked  for  a  stick  to  lean  upon.  The  hunter 
cut  him  a  branch  from  a  tree,  but  Sundiata  broke  it  as  if  it 
were  a  straw ;  then  his  father  gave  him  a  small  tree  stem, 
next  a  gigantic  trunk,  and  lastly  a  huge  iron  rod,  which  all 
the  blacksmiths  of  the  country  had  been  at  work  on  for  a 
year,  but  the  young  fellow  broke  them  all.  In  face  of  this 
evident  miracle  his  father  and  brothers  admitted  his 
superior  strength.  His  courage,  his  power,  and  the  know- 
ledge of  magic  which  had  been  bequeathed  to  him  by  the 
sorceress,  drew  all  the  Malinke  to  Sundiata,  and  Samory 
himself,  who  is  a  Malinke,  claims  at  this  present  day  to  be 
Sundiata  returned  to  earth. 

Somangoro,  a  mighty  warrior,  and,  moreover,  learned  in 
witchcraft,  reigned  on  the  banks  of  the  Niger.  Certain  ter- 
rible and  mysterious  nostrums  rendered  him  invincible,  and 
he  could  only  be  beaten  by  an  enemy  who  should  succeed 
in  snatching  from  him  the  first  mouthful  of  food  he  raised 
to  his  lips.     Now  Sundiata,  who  had  made  up  his  mind  to 


FROM   KAYES   TO   TIMBUKTU  55 

possess  himself  of  the  lands  belonging  to  Somangoro,  and 
knowing  the  magic  power  which  protected  his  enemy, 
pretended  to  seek  his  friendship  and  alliance  by  offering  to 
him  his  own  sister  Ma  in  marriage. 

Somangoro  had  fallen  in  love  with  Ma,  so  he  married  her, 
and  took  her  to  his  own  land.  He  soon  trusted  his  wife  so 
entirely  that  he  allowed  her  alone  to  prepare  and  serve  his 
food. 


BANKS   OF  THE   RIVER    AT   KOLIKORO. 


Well,  one  day  when  the  Soninke  chief  had  drunk  rather 
too  much  dolo  or  mead.  Ma  brought  him  his  food,  and 
having  placed  before  him  the  calabash  containing  the  tau 
(boiled  millet  or  maize),  just  as  he  was  raising  the  first 
handful  to  his  mouth  she  sidled  up  to  him  as  if  about  to 
caress  him,  and,  by  an  apparently  accidental  movement, 
made  him  drop  it. 

"  Leave  that  bit,  dear  friend,"  she  said,  "  it  is  dirty ! "  and 
she  flung  it  into  a  corner  of  the  hut.  Somangoro,  in- 
toxicated with  love  as  well  as  with  liquor,  did  not  take  any 


56  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

notice  of  what  the  traitress  had  done.  Then  the  cunning 
Ma,  when  her  husband  had  left  her,  picked  up  the  mouthful 
of  tau^  and  sent  it  to  her  brother.  Sundiata  could  now 
march  against  his  rival. 

This  is  what  happened.  The  two  armies  met  at 
Massala  ;  the  Soninkes  were  beaten.  Somangoro  hung  his 
weapons  on  a  tree,  which  is  still  pointed  out  opposite  the 
entrance  to  the  village,  and  fled  to  Mount  Kolikoro,  where 
his  rival  changed  him,  his  horse,  and  his  favourite  griot 
into  stone. 

-  But  although  he  is  petrified  the  Soninke  chief  retains 
his  magic  power,  and  the  village  is  still  under  his  pro- 
tection. At  the  foot  of  the  hill  two  sacred  rocks  receive 
the  offerings  of  the  negroes,  consisting  of  ears  of  millet, 
chickens,  and  calabashes  filled  with  degue  (millet  flour 
boiled  and  strained). 

Somangoro  is  supposed,  or  rather  was  supposed,  not  to 
tolerate  neighbours,  so  that  when  in  1885  a  post-oflice  was 
for  the  first  time  set  up  on  the  plateau  of  the  hill,  the  chief 
of  the  village  thought  it  his  duty  to  warn  the  officer  in 
charge  that  it  would  certainly  fall  down.  And  so  it  did, 
for  it  had  been  put  up  too  hurriedly,  and  collapsed  in  a 
violent  storm.  In  1889  I,  in  my  turn,  tried  to  build  nine 
earthen  huts  on  the  same  spot  to  accommodate  the  staff  of 
the  Niger  flotilla.  Pressed  for  time,  I  began  by  putting 
up  a  wooden  framework,  and  the  roof  was  being  put  on 
simultaneously  with  the  adding  of  the  earthen  walls.  Of 
course  I  had  supported  the  corners  of  my  framework  by 
pieces  of  wood,  but  my  mason,  finding  himself  in  want  of 
them,  did  not  hesitate  to  remove  them,  and  therefore,  just 
what  might  have  been  expected  happened — my  house  went 
down  like  a  castle  of  cards,  dragging  the  roof  and  the  men 
at  work  on  it  with  it.  Fortunately  no  one  was  hurt. 
Naturally  the   influence  of  Somangoro  was  supposed  to 


FROM    KAYES   TO   TIMBUKTU  ,57 

have  been  at  the  bottom  of  the  catastrophe,  and  I  could  not 
get  any  natives  from  the  village  to  work  for  me  on  that 
spot  again.  I  was  very  much  vexed,  but  fortunately  I 
suddenly  remembered  how  a  certain  General  of  the  first 
Republic  managed  to  get  the  blood  of  Saint  Januarius  to 
liquefy  when  it  rebelled  against  performing  the  miracle  ex- 
pected of  it.  I  presented  Somangoro  with  a  white  sheep, 
and  at  the  same  time  told  the  sorcerer  who  superintends 
the  rites  of  the  hero's  worship  that  he  had  a  choice  of  a 
good  present  or  a  flogging,  according  to  the  answer  his 
master  should  make  to  them  through  him.  Under  the  cir- 
cumstances, I  added,  Somangoro  would  surely  do  the  best 
he  could  for  the  welfare  of  his  faithful  servant.  The  event 
was  as  I  foresaw.  The  oracle,  when  consulted,  declared 
that  full  permission  was  granted  me  to  reside  where  I  liked. 
Since  then  I  have  been  supposed  throughout  Bambara  to 
be  on  excellent  terms  with  Somangoro. 

Mount  Kolikoro  is  a  harbour  of  refuge  for  escaped  slaves 
who  have  fled  from  the  injustice  and  brutality  of  their 
masters,  and  declare  themselves  to  be  the  captives  of 
Somangoro.  No  one  dares  to  touch  them  as  long  as  they 
keep  close  to  the  rock,  so  they  have  built  huts  there  and 
till  the  ground  for  food. 

Another  noteworthy  fact  with  regard  to  this  mountain  is, 
that  an  oath  taken  by  it  whilst  eating  degue  is  inviolable. 
He  who  should  perjure  himself  by  a  lie  after  that  would 
be  sure  to  lose  his  life.  When  I  was  in  command  there  I 
often  turned  this  belief  to  account,  and  got  at  the  truth  in 
matters  far  too  complicated  to  be  solved  by  the  ordinary 
light  of  human  reason. 

I  must  also  add  that  Somangoro  is  also  the  enemy  of 
thieves.  When  anything  has  been  stolen  in  the  village  of 
Kolikoro,  a  crier  is  heard  going  through  the  streets  at 
night,  calling  upon  the  dead  hero  to  cause  the  death  of  the 


58 


THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE    NIGER 


culprit  if  he  does  not  return  the  fruit  of  his  larceny.  Gener- 
ally the  person  robbed  recovers  his  property.  I  do  not 
know  why,  but  this  easy  mode  of  invoking  the  power  attri- 
buted amongst  Catholics  in  Europe  to  Saint  Anthony  of 
Padua  is  called  Welle  da,  which  means  literally  to  appeal  to 
the  door. 

The  first  days  of  our  stay  at  Kolikoro  were  occupied  in 
unpacking  and  going  over  our  stores.     We  landed  our  two 


REPAIRING   THE      AUBE. 


wooden  barges  from  the  old  flotilla,  brought  down  by 
Taburet,  to  have  the  necessary  repairs  done.  Alas  !  what  a 
disagreeable  surprise  we  had  !  It  was  not  mere  repairs  they 
needed,  but  a  complete  overhauling.  During  the  previous 
winter  the  wood  of  the  outside  had  rotted,  partly  from 
being  badly  kept,  and  more  than  half  the  boarding  had  to 
be  replaced  with  new.  The  only  thing  to  do  was  to  set  to 
work  vigorously  to  remedy  the  evil.    Fortunately  our  friend 


FROM    KAYES   TO   TIMBUKTU 


59 


i 

ff^^i^r 

1 

T^-iiWWMM 

. 

'k.M/^£J^^w 

A 

yL-_^ 

-i.wf^ 

^ 

^"Sm 

^HH 

TIGHTENING  THE   BOLTS   OF   THE    '  DAYOUST. 


Osterman,  who  had  already  rendered  us  so  many  services, 
was  now  at  Kolikoro  superintending  the  building  of  canoes 
for  the  re-victualling  of  the  river  stations,  and  he  was  ready 
to  help  us  again  in 
every  way.  We  suc- 
ceeded in  putting  our 
three  little  barks  in 
order,  but  we  never 
made  them  as  water- 
tight as  they  were 
originally,  and  espe- 
cially with  the  Aube 
the  leakage  was  a 
constant  source  of 
anxiety  to  us  all  through  our  trip. 

Our  engineer,  Sauzereau,  meanwhile  was  busy  putting 
the  Davoust  together,  an  operation  the  difficulty  of  which 
was  greatly  increased  by  the  fact  that  several  of  the  sections 
had  got  bent  and  twisted,  either  on  the  road  or  during 
the  time  when  she  was    left   at  Badumbe.     In    her  case 

also  we  had  to  resort 
to  various  ingenious 
contrivances,  supple- 
menting the  original 
metal  with  pieces  of 
wood  or  iron  rods. 
On  November  19  we 
launched  her,  but  the 
water  rushed  in  in 
floods  through  the 
badly  fitting  joints, 
and  our  unfortunate  vessel  seemed  more  like  a  huge  strainer 
than  anything  else.  Well,  we  must  tighten  the  bolts 
somehow !     So  in  somewhat  primitive  costumes  we  armed 


PROCESSION   OF  BOYS   AFTER  CIRCUMCISION. 


6o  THE    EXPLORATION    OF   THE    NIGER 

ourselves  with  turn-screws,  and  with  our  feet  in  the  water 
did  our  best.  Taburet  especially  distinguished  himself 
at  this  work,  and  was  so  full  of  zeal,  that  in  his  too 
eager  efforts  he  even  broke  off  some  of  the  heads  of  the 
bolts.  We  were  obliged  to  check  our  good  doctor's  ardour 
a  little.  At  last,  what  with  blows  from  our  turn-screws, 
and  the  use  of  plenty  of  putty  and  a  little  tow,  we  suc- 
ceeded in  draining  the  boat. 

We  made  two  straw  couches  on  the  Aiibe,  and — unheard- 
of  luxury  ! — we  covered  over  the  plank  ceilings  of  the 
Davoust  with  pretty  yellow  mats  made  in  the  country,  the 
colours  of  which  harmonized  well  with  the  light  grey  of  the 
wood. 

Whilst  we  were  thus  at  work  we  were  able  to  make  our 
observations  at  our  leisure  on  the  life  of  the  village.  We 
happened  to  have  arrived  just  at  the  time  of  an  annual 
fete,  which  is  the  delight  of  all  the  natives  of  Bambara, 
except  perhaps  those  on  whose  account  it  is  held.  I  allude 
to  the  ceremony  of  Buluku,  or  circumcision,  which  is  per- 
formed on  male  negroes  at  the  age  of  twelve,  whilst  young 
girls  of  a  similar  age  are  subjected  to  an  operation  of  a 
corresponding  but  more  barbarous  kind.  Male  and  female 
blacksmiths,  who,  amongst  all  the  Sudanese  tribes,  are  a 
class  apart,  are  the  operators.  The  victims  are  taken  out- 
side the  village  to  a  wood  considered  sacred,  and  there  they 
are  compelled  to  dance  and  shout  till  they  are  exhausted 
with  fatigue,  and  reduced  with  the  further  aid  of  copious 
draughts  of  libo,  or  millet  beer,  to  a  state  of  semi-insensi- 
bility. The  operation  of  circumcision  is  then  performed 
with  a  sharp  little  knife,  on  a  mortar  for  grinding  millet 
turned  upside  down.  The  poor  children  must  not  utter  a 
cry  or  even  moan,  although,  judging  from  the  expression  of 
their  faces,  they  suffer  a  good  deal.  The  young  girls 
undergo  a  similar  treatment,  but  whereas  their  brothers  are 


FROM    KAYES   TO   TIMBUKTU 


6i 


all  right  again  two  or  three  days  afterwards,  they  are  ill  for 
more  than  a  month.  During  the  period  of  convalescence 
the  children  are  not  allowed  to  return  to  the  huts  of  their 
parents.  Under  the  care  of  the  blacksmiths  they  are  to  be 
seen  going  round  and  round  the  villages  in  small  parties 


THE   SACRED   BAOBAB   OF    KOLIKORO. 


singing,  and  during  this  march  they  are  allowed  to  take 
anything  they  fancy  without  paying  for  it.  All  this  time 
the  girls  are  covered  by  big  white  veils,  whilst  the  boys 
wear  a  cap  of  a  peculiar  shape  ;  both  sexes  carry  a  musical 
instrument  made  of  pieces  of  calabash,  threaded  on  a  thin 
branch  of  some  tree,  the  clinking  of  which  is  heard  a  long 
way  off. 


62  THE    EXPLORATION    OF   THE    NIGER 

At  Kolikoro,  the  year  after  this  ceremony,  the  girls  who 
have  been  operated  on  give  a  fete  called  the  Wansofili. 
In  the  centre  of  the  village  is  a  huge  baobab  tree  many 
centuries  old,  which  is  held  sacred  by  the  natives,  and  is 
supposed  to  have  the  power  of  making  women  prolific. 
The  girls  alluded  to  above  gather  about  this  tree  in  groups 
and  rub  their  stomachs  against  the  trunk  with  a  hope  of 
thus  ensuring  offspring.  The  ceremony  winds  up  with  a 
debauch,  during  which  scenes  occur  which  have  perhaps 
more  to  do  with  the  perpetuation  of  the  race  of  the 
Bambaras  than  even  the  venerated  baobab.  One  evening 
when  I  had  gone  to  witness  a  Wansofili,  I  was  obliged  to 
imitate  the  example  of  Jacob's  son  and  to  flee  from  the 
daughters  of  the  village,  lest  my  dignity  as  Commander 
of  the  expedition  should  be  compromised.  It  was  too 
hot  for  me  to  be  wearing  a  mantle,  otherwise  I  should 
certainly  have  left  it  behind  me. 

On  the  occasion  of  the  Buluku  a  certain  Kieka-Sanke 
came  to  give  us  a  tam-tam  of  his  own.  Kieka-Sanke,  I 
must  explain,  is  a  member  of  the  Koridjuga  tribe,  a  caste 
with  its  own  special  customs  and  its  own  dancers  and 
singers,  I  might  almost  say  composers. 

Sanke  was  an  old  acquaintance  of  mine,  and  his  mummeries 
had  often  amused  me.  Moreover,  the  information  he  had 
given  me  had  often  been  most  useful,  for  the  right  bank 
of  the  river  was  then  still  in  the  power  of  the  Toucouleurs, 
and  I  had  neighbours  at  Guni,  and  in  Sanke's  own  village, 
on  whom  it  was  necessary  to  keep  a  vigilant  watch. 

Now  Sanke's  profession  enabled  him  to  go  everywhere 
and  to  see  everything  without  being  suspected,  so  that 
he  was  often  able  to  warn  me  in  good  time  of  what  the 
Toucouleurs  were  thinking  of  doing.  But  those  anxious 
days  are  over  now,  and  he  came  to  Kolikoro  on  this 
occasion  merely  to  exercise  his  art.     His  greatest  successes 


FROM    KAYES   TO   TIMBUKTU 


63 


have  been  achieved  when  he  has  been  disguised  as  a 
woman,  for  he  is  wonderfully  clever  at  imitating  feminine 
ways.  As  he  dances  he  strikes  a  calabash  full  of  little 
flints,  and  composes  songs  on  the  spot  which  are  full  of 
caustic  humour.  One  of  his  privileges,  and  he  values  it 
greatly,  is  that  he  can  say  anything  to  or  of  anybody  with- 
out giving  offence. 

During  my  first  stay  at  Kolikoro,  Sanke  was  particularly 


THE    FLEET    OF   MY   EXPEDITION. 


fond  of  taking  off  the  Mussulman  Toucouleurs,  and  I 
remember  one  day  how,  a  propos  of  their  many  prostrations 
and  genuflexions,  he  said,  "  What  pleasure  can  these  fellows 
give  to  Allah  by  showing  Him  their  backs  three  times  a 
day ! "  My  lady  readers  must  pardon  me  ;  the  Bambara 
language  is  in  certain  expressions  no  more  refined  than 
the  Latin. 

This  time  Sank6,  after  having  as  usual  given  us  all  the 
news,  imitated   the   taking   of  a   village.     Wearing  huge 


64  THE    EXPLORATION    OF   THE    NIGER 

plumes  on  his  head,  and  riding  astride  on  a  stick  with  a 
horse's  head,  which  represented  his  war  steed,  and  a  wooden 
gun  in  his  hand,  he  was  in  his  own  person  the  besieger  and 
the  besieged.  It  was  really  interesting  to  see  him  imitate, 
with  a  skill  many  comedians  might  envy,  the  fierce 
gestures  of  a  mounted  warrior  charging,  the  crafty  bear- 
ing of  the  foot  soldier  hidden  behind  some  cover  waiting 
to  rush  out  on  the  unsuspecting  enemy,  the  fall  of  the 
wounded,  the  convulsions  of  the  dying.  The  performance 
ended  with  a  song  in  praise  of  the  French  in  general  and 
ourselves  in  particular.  In  these  impromptu  verses  Sanke 
advised  women  to  lay  aside  their  spinning-wheels,  for  the 
white  men  would  give  them  money  and  fine  clothes  for 
much  less  tiring  work.     I  refrain  from  quoting  more. 

On  December  12  we  embarked  our  last  load,  and  at  half- 
past  two  we  started. 

On  the  17th  we  anchored  opposite  Sego,  where  we  were 
to  receive  from  the  Government  stores  the  greater  amount 
of  the  reserve  provisions  for  three  months  which  we  had  to 
take  with  us  in  some  hundred  and  fifty  cases.  Bluzet 
raised  his  arms  to  Heaven  in  despair  when  he  saw  the 
huge  piles.  "  We  shall  never  get  them  into  our  hold ! " 
he  cried,  "  unless  the  axiom  that  the  lesser  cannot  contain 
the  greater  is  not  true  after  all."  He  did  not,  however, 
realize  what  skilful  stowage  could  do.  Baudry  disappeared 
at  the  bottom  of  the  hold,  and  nothing  more  was  seen  of 
him  that  day.  And  what  he  did  then  as  second  in 
command  he  had  to  do  again  and  again  for  a  whole  month, 
unpacking  and  repacking,  hunting  about  amongst  the 
confusion  of  packages  and  cases  for  the  one  containing 
what  was  wanted.  I  confess  I  often  pitied  him  from  the 
bottom  of  my  heart,  the  more  that  the  temperature  beneath 
the  metal  roof  of  our  hold  was  not  one  easily  borne  by  a 
European. 


FROM   KAYES   TO   TIMBUKTU 


65 


At  half-past  two  in  the  afternoon  Captain  Destenaves,  at 
one  time  resident  at  Bandiagara,  arrived  from  Massina, 
where  he  had  been  in  command  for  more  than  a  year. 

Destenaves  had  led  our  expedition  to  Mossi  and  Dori. 
From  the  latter  town,  which  is  situated  on  the  borders  of 
the  Tuareg  districts,  he  had  brought  much  interesting  in- 
formation, and  he  was  also  accompanied  by  an  old  man 


DIGUI   AND   THE  COOLIES   OF  THE    'JULES    DAVOUST." 


named  Abdul  Dori,  who  declared  himself  ready  to  join  our 
expedition. 

Abdul  was  what  is  known  in  these  parts  as  a  diavandu 
Fulah^  that  is  to  say,  a  Fulah  belonging  to  a  family  which 
resembles  in  certain  respects  the  griots  of  whom  I  have  had 
more  than  once  occasion  to  speak.  A  diavandu  attaches 
himself  to  the  person  of  some  chief,  whom  he  serves  as 
a  confidential  agent,  courier,  etc.  He  toadies  his  master 
to  the  top  of  his  bent,  and  so  makes  a  good  thing  out  of 


66  THE   EXPLORATION    OF    THE   NIGER 

him,  by  hook  or  by  crook.  Even  if  he  is  not  exactly  a 
noble  character,  it  is  impossible  to  deny  that  the  diavandu  is 
often  very  full  of  intelligence  and  address.  If  Abdul  had 
really  resolved  to  join  us  he  might  have  rendered  us  very 
great  services,  but,  as  will  be  seen,  the  sly  fellow  had  his 
own  particular  schemes  to  further,  and  was  perhaps  even  a 
spy  in.  the  pay  of  the  Toucouleurs  sent  to  watch  and 
circumvent  us. 

Destenaves  was,  moreover,  in  a  great  state  of  indignation, 
for  though  his  expedition  had  succeeded  at  Dori,  it  had 
come  to  grief  at  Mossi.  He  had  even  had  to  fire  a  few 
shots.  He  laid  all  the  blame,  not  without  reason,  on  the 
former  Governor  of  the  French  Sudan.  In  fact,  M.  Grodet, 
instead  of  letting  Destenaves  go  first  to  Bobo  Diulasso, 
where  he  would  have  been  sure  of  a  good  reception,  made 
him  adopt  an  unfortunate  course.  Unable,  in  face  of  his 
instructions  from  home,  to  stop  the  expedition  altogether, 
as  in  our  case,  he  ordered  its  leader  to  go  towards  the 
districts  occupied  by  the  Mossi,  who  were  wholly  unprepared 
to  receive  it. 

We  left  Sego  on  the  morning  of  the  i8th,  and  arrived 
the  same  day  at  Sansanding,  where  my  good  friend 
Mademba  was  waiting  for  us. 

Every  traveller  who  has  been  to  Mademba' s,  and  has  since 
written  an  account  of  his  journey,  has  made  a  point,  not 
without  justice,  of  bearing  grateful  testimony  to  the  merits 
of  this  noble  fellow. 

Mademba  Seye  is  a  native  who  was  at  one  time  in  the 
employ  of  the  French  post  and  telegraph  office.  He 
especially  distinguished  himself  during  the  construction  of 
the  line  which,  keeping  alongside  of  the  Senegal,  crosses 
the  Toucouleur  districts  of  the  Senegalese  Foota.  Just  now 
the  Toucouleurs  were  very  much  irritated  against  us,  and  full 
of  arrogance  because  no  punishment  had  been  inflicted  on 


FROM    KAYES   TO    TIMBUKTU  67 

them  for  their  daily  misdeeds.  They  stopped  barges 
coming  up  from  St.  Louis,  they  molested  the  traders  and 
pillaged  their  merchandise,  and  the  greatest  skill,  courage, 
and  savoir faire  were  needed  on  the  part  of  Mademba  to 
conquer  the  difficulties  besetting  his  path. 


MADEMBA. 


Later  he  did  wonders  in  the  Sudan,  and  his  defence  of 
the  village  of  Guinina  was  a  glorious  feat  of  arms.  He  was 
victorious  over  the  troops  of  Fabu,  the  brother  of  Samory, 
though  he  had  no  one  with  him  but  the  few  employes 
helping  him  to  put  down  the  line.  Colonel  Gallieni  sent  for 
him  to  be  a  kind  of  chief  interpreter,  and  he  held  that 
position  until,  the  Toucouleurs  having  been  driven  from 


68  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

Sego  and  Nioro,  the  country  just  conquered  by  the  French 
was  properly  organized. 

A  small  kingdom,  with  Sansanding  as  capital,  was  placed 
under  Mademba  ;  he  had  in  his  service  a  certain  number  of 
sofas^  or  captive  Amadu  warriors,  who  had  surrendered  to 
the  French  and  to  the  natives.  Our  postmaster-general 
soon  became  the  Fama  Mademba^  the  word  fama  signify- 
ing a  chief  or  king  among  the  natives  of  Bambara. 

Mademba  gathered  a  court  about  him,  showing  a  very 
clear  sense  of  the  right  policy  to  pursue.  When  with  us 
his  manners  and  tastes  were  quite  civilized,  but  he  knew 
that  to  get  an  influence  over  his  new  subjects  he  must 
adopt  the  customs  of  their  chiefs.  He  began  by  building 
himself  a  palace,  which  consists  of  a  vast  rectangular 
enceinte,  with  a  door  embellished  with  rough  ornaments  in 
clay.  In  the  first  vestibule,  or  bolo,  are  the  guards,  or 
dalasiguis,  armed  with  muskets.  This  porch  gives  access 
to  a  series  of  courts  and  other  bolos,  where  of  an  evening 
bellow  the  cattle  and  bleat  the  sheep  belonging  to  the  chief. 
A  last  door,  guarded  or  rather  watched  over  by  some  fifteen 
children,  gives  access  to  the  favourite  apartment  of  the 
Fama.  Why  should  children  be  employed  ?  Because 
they  are  the  only  people  who  can  be  depended  on  to 
tell  the  truth,  and  if  they  notice  anything  unusual  they 
are  very  sure,  sooner  or  later,  to  tell  what  they  have 
seen.  For  the  same  reason,  perhaps,  and  also  on  aesthetic 
grounds,  the  Fama  is  waited  on  by  women  only,  most  of 
whom  are  the  daughters  of  blacksmiths  or  griots,  speci- 
ally attached  to  the  chief,  their  name,  Koi'osiguis,  meaning, 
"those  who  sit  beside."  Moreover,  Mademba  showed 
great  acumen  in  his  choice  of  servants,  and  I  never  saw 
so  many  pretty  girls  anywhere  else  in  the  Sudan. 

Behind  the  royal  apartments,  and  completely  surrounding 
the  vast  enclosure,  are  the  huts  of  Mademba's  wives  ;  but 


FROM    KAYES    TO    TIMBUKTU  69 

there  begins  the  private  life  of  the  chief,  and  I  can't  intro- 
duce you  to  that,  for  the  simple  reason  that  I  have  never 
seen  anything  of  it  myself. 

Surrounded  by  his  male  and  female  griots,  wearing 
a  grand  green  burnous^  on  which  gleamed  the  Cross  of 
the  Legion  of  Honour,  the  reward  of  his  courage  in  the 
service  of  France,  Mademba  came  to  the  banks  of  the 
river  to  welcome  us.  Shouts  and  acclamations  of  delight 
and  sympathy  with  us  greeted  us  as  we  landed,  and  if  we 
had  not  known  what  all  the  fuss  meant,  we  might  have 
mistaken  it  for  a  declaration  of  war. 

We  went  home  with  the  Faina,  and  there,  taking  off  his 
burnoiLS^  the  black  chief  disappeared,  to  be  replaced  by  our 
old  friend  Mademba,  cultivated,  refined,  a  charming  talker, 
quite  up-to-date  in  all  that  was  going  on  in  Europe,  the 
man  whom  all  Frenchmen  who  have  been  in  the  Sudan 
know  and  appreciate.  He  did  the  honours  of  an  excellent, 
almost  European  meal,  and  we  drank  a  glass  of  champagne 
together,  in  spite  of  his  being  a  good  Mussulman,  for  he  has 
none  of  the  stupid  fanaticism  of  his  fellow  believers. 

Just  before  we  started  I  had  made  the  following  little 
speech  to  my  coolies  :  "  My  friends,  I  know  I  am  asking 
what  will  cost  you  a  good  deal  of  self-denial,  but  you  must 
oblige  me  by  not  being  too  attentive  to  the  women  you 
meet  until  we  have  reached  Timbuktu.  You  know  that  that 
sort  of  thing  leads  to  disputes,  sometimes  even  to  regular 
quarrels,  with  the  natives,  and  we  shall  have  quite  enough 
hostility  to  contend  with  without  creating  any  ill-feeling 
ourselves.  I  warn  you,  moreover,  that  I  shall  give  you  no 
more  pay  after  we  leave  Sansanding  till  we  reach  our  goal. 
I  will,  however,  give  you  two  months'  pay  in  advance  at 
Sansanding,  and  you  will  have  three  days  to  spend  it  in. 
For  a  year  therefore,  and  perhaps  more,  after  you  leave 
Sansanding,  remember,  you  have  done  with  women." 


70 


THE    EXPLORATION    OF    THE    NIGER 


Truth  to  tell,  I  had  learnt  from  experience  that  the 
ardent  temperaments  of  negroes  forming  the  escorts  of 
expeditions  really  often  jeopardized  success,  if  their  amours 
did  not  actually  bring  about  failure.  Of  course  I  can't  be 
sure  that  my  orders,  which  I  repeated  later,  were  always 


YAKARE. 


Strictly  obeyed,  but  at  all  events  I  did  a  good  deal  to  lessen 
the  evil. 

I  gave  my  jolly  fellows  three  days  to  enjoy  them- 
selves in,  and  they  took  me  at  my  word.  Until  half-past 
one  on  the  22nd  I  saw  next  to  nothing  of  them  on  board, 
and  when  the  time  for  starting  arrived  I  had  to  send 
to   hunt   up    our   little   Abdulaye    Dem,   who   had    quite 


FROM    KAYES   TO    TIMBUKTU  71 

forgotten  how  the  time  went  in  the  society  of  a  coal  black 
Circe. 

Meanwhile,  we  Europeans  amused  ourselves  far  more 
usefully  in  arranging  for  our  further  journey,  and  in  trying 
the  effect  on  the  natives  of  our  most  attractive  possessions, 
viz.  the  little  organ,  the  bicycle,  and  the  phonograph. 

The  organ  had  already  done  wonders,  and  as  for  our 
Suzanne,  as  we  called  our  bicycle,  she  caused  a  perfect 
delirium  of  joy. 

Mademba  had  an  ancient-looking  negress  of  Amadu, 
named  Yakare,  in  his  suite.  She  was  really  only  about 
forty  years  old,  but  she  was  considered  one  of  the  cleverest 
women  in  all  Bambara. 

There  was  a  certain  ring  about  her  songs  of  war  and  love 
which  would  be  appreciated  even  in  Europe,  and  the 
following  specimen,  in  which  she  glorifies  Donga  or  the 
vulture,  Monson,  the  greatest  fama  of  Bambara,  will  serve 
to  give  an  idea  of  the  rhythm. 

Braves  I  Heroes,  who  of  you  dares  rail  at  Donga  ? 

I  tell  you  evil  will  come  upon  you  if  you  mock  at  him. 

Raillery  of  him  was  fatal  to  Diakuruna  Tutun. 

Samaniana  Baci  thought  to  play  with  Donga, 

He  fancied  he  could  make  merry  with  him  ; 

But  that  did  not  please  the  vulture, 

And  he  took  Bamana  Dankun 

And  cut  off  his  head,  yes,  took  his  head  from  his  shoulders. 

Dankun  had  only  said  that  the  Bambaras 

Could  not  pause  in  sacrifices  already  begun.^ 

I  sing  of  Donga  Jaribata,^ 

The  vulture  of  four  wings, 

*  Bamana  Dankun  had  replied  to  Monson  who  had  called  him,  "  I 
will  come ;  when  I  have  finished  the  sacrifices  I  am  offering,  I  will  come." 
Hence  the  anger  of  the  FafJta. 

'^  I  have  failed  to  ascertain  the  meaning  of  the  word  Jaribata.  The 
griots  sometimes  use  words  in  their  songs,  which  the  present  natives  of 
Bambara  do  not  themselves  understand,  and  which  may  perhaps  be 
survivals  of  a  now  extinct  language. 


72  THE   EXPLORATION    OF    THE    NIGER 

A  mighty  bird,  whose  talons 
Can  tear  up  the  soil  of  the  earth  ; 
A  bird  who  if  he  will 
Can  dig  a  well  with  his  claws. 


You  can  just  imagine  the  sensation  when,  after  the 
negress  had  finished  her  chant,  the  phonograph  repeated  it 
without  anybody's  help. 


LARGE   NIGER   CANOES. 


But  all  good  things  must  come  to  an  end,  and  to  the 
great  regret  of  my  coolies,  I  gave  the  signal  for  departure 
on  the  22nd. 

Below  Sansanding  the  Niger  increases  sensibly  in  depth. 
This  fact  explains  alike  the  former  and  the  future  import- 
ance of  the  village  as  a  commercial  centre.  The  trade  of 
the  country  is,  in  fact,  conveyed  up  and  down  by  water  in 
big  canoes  some  60  feet  long,  capable  of  carrying  twenty 
tons,  and  made  of  planks  tied  together.     Holes  are  pierced 


FROM    KAYES   TO   TIMBUKTU  73 

in  these  planks,  through  which  ropes  are  passed  made  of 
the  fibres,  which  are  very  strong,  of  the  leaves  of  a  kind 
of  hibiscus.  When  Sansanding,  Jenne,  and  Timbuktu  were 
prosperous  places,  when  the  savage  hordes  of  Toucouleurs 
had  not  yet  spread  death  and  desolation  everywhere  in 
the  name  of  Islam,  these  heavy  craft,  sometimes  drawing 
more  than  six  feet,  used  to  halt  at  Sansanding.  For  the 
traffic  further  up  stream  smaller  boats  were  used,  which 
plied  to  and  fro  nearly  all  the  year  round.  A  central  mart 
was  absolutely  indispensable  to  the  Sudan  merchants,  and 
Sansanding  was  fitted  by  nature  to  become  that  mart.  I 
believe  that  in  its  most  prosperous  times  it  numbered  from 
thirty  to  forty  thousand  inhabitants,  though  now  these  are 
reduced  to  some  three  or  four  thousand,  in  spite  of  the 
fresh  impulse  given  by  the  more  prosperous  times  of 
to-day,  and  the  intelligence  of  the  governor  Mademba. 

When  the  railway  has  been  pushed  from  Kayes  to 
Kolikoro,  and  when  steamboats  ply  on  the  Niger,  similar 
causes  will  of  course  produce  similar  results.  Steamboats 
will  not,  however,  be  able  to  go  beyond  Sansanding  all  the 
year  round,  for  no  amount  of  improvement  in  their  build 
can  reduce  their  draught  below  one  and  a  half  or  two  feet. 
Above  this  point,  however,  the  river  is  navigable  for  a  longer 
or  shorter  time  every  year  in  such  barges  as  are  now 
in  use.  At  the  most,  the  traffic  is  only  interrupted  for 
about  four  months  in  the  year.  Sansanding  will  again 
become  a  central  emporium  and  transhipping  station ;  all  its 
old  importance  will  be  restored  to  it. 

I  may  add,  that  it  has  fortunately  many  other  advan- 
tages, including  good  anchorage  and  landing  places,  where 
boats  can  be  moored  in  shelter  during  the  violent  storms 
of  Central  Africa  ;  the  soil  too  is  very  dry,  so  that  the  place 
is  healthier  than  many  others  in  the  Sudan,  and  the  people 
are  gentle,  intelligent,  and  industrious. 


74  THE    EXPLORATION    OF    THE    NIGER 

Beyond  Sansanding  the  course  of  the  Niger  changes  con- 
siderably. Thus  far  the  river  flows  between  pretty  straight 
uniform  banks,  but  now 'the  hills  are  lower,  and  behind 
them  the  country  is  perfectly  flat,  without  so  much  as  an 
undulation,  so  that  they  are  completely  flooded,  often  for  an 
immense  distance,  when  the  water  is  high.  Here  and  there 
villages  rise  from  slight  eminences,  the  clumps  of  hibiscus 
surrounding  them  rendering  them  visible  from  afar.  Now 
too  appears  the  sweet  grass  which  the  natives  call  burgu, 
a  special  characteristic  of  the  riverside  vegetation  as  far  as 
Say.  It  is  a  kind  of  aquatic  couch-grass  nearly  level  with 
the  soil  when  on  the  subsiding  of  the  floods  the  ground 
becomes  dry  again.  Directly  the  soil  is  once  more 
inundated,  however,  the  burgu  sends  out  shoots  with 
extraordinary  rapidity,  and  they  grow  so  fast  that  they 
soon  reach  the  top  of  the  water.  The  natives  make  a  sweet 
beverage  of  the  leaves  of  this  grass,  of  too  sickly  a  taste  to 
be  fancied  by  Europeans,  but  negroes  are  very  fond  of  it 
For  our  hydrographical  surveys  the  burgu  was  a  most 
invaluable  help,  growing  as  it  does,  as  I  have  already 
remarked,  wherever  the  solid  ground  reappears  after  the 
floods.  If,  therefore,  we  should  be  overtaken  by  a  tornado 
on  the  open  river,  we  can  always  take  refuge  from  the  waves 
by  anchoring  in  the  middle  of  the  submerged  tracts. 

On  January  i  we  reached  Gurao  on  Lake  Debo,  where 
I  had  recently  resided  for  two  years  in  charge  of  the  Niger 
flotilla,  consisting  of  the  two  gunboats  Niger  and  Mage, 
and  a  few  barges  made  of  the  wood  of  the  country.  Two 
of  these  barges,  it  will  be  remembered,  were  now  part  of 
our  exploring  expedition. 

We  paid  a  visit  between  whiles  to  the  tomb  of  Sidi 
Hamet  Beckay,  in  the  village  of  Saredina.  I  shall  often 
have  occasion  later  to  refer  to  this  worthy,  so  I  will  content 
myself  with  adding  but  a  few  words  about  him  here.     It 


FROM   KAYES   TO   TIMBUKTU  75 

was  thanks  to  him  that  Barth  was  able  to  stop  six  months 
at  Timbuktu,  pursue  his  voyage  in  safety,  and  go  down  the 
river  by  Say  to  Sokoto,  whence  he  had  started  eighteen 
months  before.  Thanks  to  him  too,  Barth  was  able  to 
send  details  to  Europe  of  the  hitherto  mysterious  city  of 
Timbuktu,  which  had  previously  been  visited  by  no  white 
men  except  Rene  Caille. 

When  El  Hadj  Omar  and  his  fanatical  hordes  came  to 
devastate  Massina,  Hamet  Beckay  did  his  utmost  to  stop 
the  course  of  the  Toucouleur  conqueror,  by  urging  on  him 
his  own  interpretation  of  the  Mussulman  religion,  which  he 
also  professed ;  an  interpretation  too  noble  and  elevated  to 
be  adopted  by  any  but  a  few  votaries.  It  was  all  in  vain  ; 
his  remonstrances  were  unheeded  by  El  Hadj.  Beckay 
had  to  be  content  with  organizing  a  stout  resistance  ;  he 
summoned  to  arms  his  faithful  friends  the  Tuaregs  and 
the  Fulahs,  his  former  adversaries.  But,  alas !  he  died  at 
Saredina  before  he  could  accomplish  anything.  The  story 
goes,  that  when  in  perfect  health  he  was  seized  with  a 
gloomy  presentiment  of  his  approaching  end.  He  called 
his  intimate  friends  together,  telling  them  that  he  might 
perhaps  soon  be  summoned  to  make  a  distant  journey, 
and  giving  to  them  his  turban  and  his  sword,  the  former 
for  his  son  Abiddin,  the  latter  for  his  son-in-law,  Beckay 
Uld  Ama  Lamine,  which  signified  that  he  bequeathed  his 
spiritual  power  to  Abiddin  and  his  temporal  authority  to 
Ama  Lamine.  Then  he  begged  to  be  left  alone  to  pray 
during  the  hour  of  the  siesta.  When  his  followers  returned 
they  found  the  great  marabout,  his  chaplet,  clasped  in  his 
hands,  and  his  eyes  closed  in  an  attitude  of  ecstasy.  After 
watching  him  for  a  short  time  they  became  alarmed  at  his 
immobility,  they  touched  him  to  try  and  awake  him.  But 
his  lifeless  body  fell  to  the  ground,  the  spirit  of  Hamet 
Beckay  had  left  its  earthly  tabernacle.     Beckay  Uld  Ama 


76 


THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE    NIGER 


Lamine  continued  the  struggle  begun  by  his  father-in-law, 
and  to  him  and  his  faithful  adherents  is  due  the  honour  of 
having  besieged  and  killed  El  Hadj  Omar  at  Hamdallahi. 
The  blood-stained  course  of  the  Toucouleurs  was  checked 
for  the  moment,  and  the  Western  Sudan  was  saved  from 
falling  into  the  hands  of  the  ferocious  warriors  of  El  Hadj. 
Saredina  is  about  two  and  a  half  miles  from  the  river, 
and  to  reach  it  we  had  to  cross  a  partially  inundated  plain 


THE  TOMB  OF  HAMET  BECKAY  AT  SAREDINA. 


over-grown  with  grass,  in  which  nested  quantities  of  aquatic 
birds.  Arrived  at  the  village  we  asked  to  be  directed  to 
the  tomb,  and  found  it  to  consist  of  little  more  than  a 
small  earthen  case  upheld  by  wooden  poles,  for  the  mass 
of  dried  bricks  which  had  originally  formed  the  monument 
to  Hamet  Beckay  had  all  but  disappeared.  The  natives 
of  the  neighbourhood  had  shown  little  respect  for  the 
great  chiefs  resting-place,  and  had  used  the  materials  of 
his  tomb  to  weight  their  nets  and  make  their  agricultural 


FROM   KAYES   TO   TIMBUKTU 


n 


implements.  In  my  report  to  the  governor  of  the  French 
Sudan  I  put  in  a  plea  for  a  grave  more  worthy  of  Hamet 
Beckay.  I  hope  my  suggestion  will  be  attended  to,  for 
it  would  be  not  only  fitting,  but  good  policy  to  preserve 
the  memory  of  a  man  whose  character  was  the  more 
estimable  in  that  such  tolerance  as  his  is  rare  indeed 
amongst  his  fellow  believers.  Such  an  act  of  pious  respect 
for  a  Mussulman  on  our  part  would  greatly  increase  our 


SARAFERE. 


moral-  influence  amongst  the  Mahommedans  of  the  neigh- 
bourhood, especially  amongst  those  of  the  interesting  Kunta 
tribe  to  which  Hamet  Beckay  belonged. 

At  Gurao  we  had  to  collect  the  ammunition  for  our  guns 
and  cannons,  and  also  to  pick  up  some  of  our  actual 
weapons,  notably  a  certain  machine  gun  which  had 
belonged  to  the  Niger  flotilla.  The  work  involved  in  all 
this  delayed  us  till  the  3rd,  but  on  the  afternoon  of  that 
day  we  resumed  our  journey. 


78  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

On  the  7th  we  reached  Sarafere,  an  important  market- 
place near  the  junction  of  the  Niger  and  the  Kolikolo, 
which  latter  is  an  arm  of  the  river,  branching  off  from 
it  a  little  above  Lake  Debo.  Here  old  Abdul  Dori,  the 
guide  we  had  engaged  at  Sego,  brought  us  a  young  man 
named  Habilulaye,  who  was  a  Kunta,  and  I  seize  the 
opportunity  of  his  visit  to  say  something  about  the  tribe 
to  which  he  belonged,  as  I  shall  often  have  to  refer  to  it. 

The  Kuntas  are  of  the  Arab  race,  and  are  descended 
from  the  famous  conqueror  of  North  Africa,  Sidi  Okha, 
who  was  a  native  of  Yemen.  After  winning  over  to  the 
religion  of  Mahomet  a"  considerable  portion  of  North 
Africa,  his  dominion  extending  nearly  to  Tangiers,  the 
victor  was  assassinated  near  Biskra,  where  his  tomb  is  still 
to  be  seen. 

His  descendants  spread  in  many  directions,  and  the 
Kuntas  took  root  at  Tuat,  where  as  venerated  marabouts 
they  exercised,  indeed  they  still  exercise,  a  very  great 
influence. 

During  the  first  half  of  the  present  century,  Timbuktu 
occupied  a  very  difficult  and  most  precarious  position. 
About  1800  a  Fulah  marabout,  named  Othman  dan  Fodio, 
carved  out  for  himself  a  regular  empire  between  Lake 
Tchad  and  the  Niger,  and  his  example  led  to  the  revolt, 
and  the  generally  successful  revolt,  of  nearly  all  the 
Fulahs  distributed  throughout  the  river  basin.  At  Massina, 
Amadu  Lobbo  Cisse,  a  chief — of  Soninkd  birth,  it  is  true, 
but  who  had  long  resided  amongst  the  Fulahs — raised  the 
standard  of  revolt  in  the  name  of  Islam,  and  his  attempt, 
after  various  vicissitudes,  succeeded.  He  and  his  son 
founded  later  an  empire,  the  influence  of  which,  with 
Hamda-Allahi  as  its  capital,  soon  extended  on  both  banks 
of  the  Niger  as  far  as  Timbuktu.  Arrived  there,  however, 
the  Fulahs  found  themselves  face  to  face  with  the  Tuareg 


FROM   KAYES   TO   TIMBUKTU  79 

tribes,  who  were  very  jealous  of  the  maintenance  of  their 
independence.  War  of  course  soon  broke  out,  and  it 
lasted  for  half-a-century  without  any  subjugation  of  the 
Tuaregs.  It  was  not  until  later  that  the  invasion  of  the 
Toucouleurs,  led  by  El  Hadj  Omar,  united  the  combatants 
against  their  common  foe. 

During  this  time  of  struggle  and  trouble  Timbuktu, 
standing  as  it  did  between  the  two  contending  parties, 
passed  first  to  one  and  then  to  the  other,  and  pillaged  by 
both  sides,  she  rapidly  declined  in  prosperity,  and  was  in 
danger  of  complete  ruin. 

Under  these  trying  circumstances,  the  merchants  of  the 
city,  eager  to  obtain  some  sort  of  security  for  their  lives, 
their  goods,  and  their  trade,  sent  to  Tuat  an  earnest 
petition  that  some  venerated  Kunta  marabout  should  come 
and  live  near  Timbuktu,  hoping  that  the  respect  felt  for  his 
piety  might  put  a  stop  to  the  depredations  of  which  their 
town  was  the  victim. 

Sidi  Moktar  responded  to  this  appeal.  He  came,  and 
took  up  his  abode  with  his  family  and  a  few  of  his  more 
distant  relations  near  Timbuktu.  Of  these  relations  the 
most  celebrated  were  his  brothers  Sidi  Aluatta  and  Sidi 
Hamet  Beckay  with  his  nephew  Amadi. 

Barth  has  told  us  much  about  them  all,  but  we  have 
now  specially  to  deal  with  Hamet  Beckay,  the  doctor's 
chief  protector. 

Imbued  through  reading  Barth's  travels  with  a  belief 
that  the  very  fate  of  my  expedition  might  depend  on 
finding,  as  he  did,  some  man  universally  loved  and 
respected  to  take  me  and  my  followers  under  his  protection, 
I  earnestly  hoped  to  find  such  a  man  amongst  the  Tuaregs, 
with  whom  I  had  become  well  acquainted  during  my  two 
years'  residence  in  the  Sudan. 

As   will  be  borne  out  by  my  further  narrative,   these 


8o  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE    NIGER 

Tuaregs  seemed  to  me  far  less  black  than  they  were 
painted  in  Europe.  At  the  same  time,  I  recognized  that 
certain  peculiarities  of  their  character  might  involve  me  in 
great  difficulties.  If  they  were  not  exactly  instinctively 
ferocious,  I  knew  that  they  were  quick  to  take  offence, 
defiant,  full  of  dread  of  innovation,  and  ready  to  look  on 
every  stranger  as  a  spy.  To  them  a  traveller  is  but  the 
harbinger  of  some  warlike  expedition,  which  will  wrest 
from  them  their  greatest  treasure,  their  independence. 

But  I  had  to  get  some  one  to  go  bail  for  me,  some  one 
to  take  me  under  his  patronage  and  protection,  and  I  had 
resolved,  if  it  could  possibly  be  done,  to  find  that  some  one 
amongst  the  Kuntas.  Surely,  I  thought,  the  traditions  of 
tolerance  of  which  Hamet  Beckay  had  given  such  striking 
proof,  must  have  been  handed  down  to  some  of  his 
descendants. 

I  did  not,  however,  disguise  from  myself  that  in  the  very 
nature  of  things,  since  other  marabouts  had,  since  Beckay's 
death,  come  to  preach  a  holy  war,  and  to  inculcate  hatred 
of  the  infidel,  that  the  Kuntas  would  necessarily  be  forced 
— if  they  did  not  wish  to  lose  their  prestige — to  howl  with 
the  rest  of  the  wolves.  But  I  reflected  there  is  still  time  to 
appeal  to  the  example  of  their  grandfather,  and  experience 
proved  that  I  was  right. 

I  put  out  all  my  eloquence  and  powers  of  persuasion  to 
win  over  young  Habibulaye,  and  I  succeeded.  From  him 
I  learned  that  the  Kuntas  were  now  divided  into  several 
groups.  He  and  his  brother  Hamadi,  the  sons  of  Sidi 
Aluatti,  the  brother  of  Hamet  Beckay,  had,  however, 
remained  at  Timbuktu  when  the  French  occupied  that 
town,  and  had  all  espoused  our  cause. 

Aluatti,  the  son  of  Amadi,  was  in  authority  on  the 
southern  side  of  the  river,  and  he  looked  on  our  expedition 
with  a  favourable  eye.    Further  on,  Baye  and  Baba  Hamet, 


FROM    KAYES   TO   TIMBUKTU  8i 

the  sons  of  Hamet  Beckay,  would,  I  expected,  be  useful 
auxiliaries  to  us  if  only  for  the  sake  of  their  father's 
memory. 

Habibulaye  did  not,  it  is  true,  conceal  from  me  the  fact 
that  other  Kuntas  were  bitterly  hostile  to  us,  notably  a 
certain  Abiddin,  who  generally  resided  at  Tuat,  and  who 
meant  to  rouse  the  Hoggars  against  us.  He  had,  in  fact, 
twice  gone  quite  close  to  Timbuktu  to  try  and  make  the 
people  rise  against  the  French. 

More  confirmed  than  ever  by  all  that  I  heard  in  my 
resolve,  and  having  now  got  all  the  information  I  could  out 
of  Habibulaye,  who  was  but  a  child,  I  made  up  my  mind,  as 
soon  as  I  got  to  Timbuktu  to  take  Hamadi  into  my  con- 
fidence, and  get  him  to  give  me  recommendations  to  his 
relations. 

A  strong  east  wind,  which  lashed  the  river  into  waves 
and  was  dead  against  us,  delayed  us  so  much  that  we  did 
not  reach  Kabara  until  the  evening  of  January  ii. 

As  is  well  known,  Timbuktu  is  not  actually  on  the  river, 
but  at  low  water  is  some  eight  or  nine  miles  off.  Djitafe  is 
then  the  nearest  point  of  approach  for  canoes,  but  when  the 
river  rises  they  go  up  a  lateral  arm,  and  come  first  to 
Koriome  and  then  to  Day.  At  certain  times  a  stream,  the 
bed  of  which  is  said  to  have  been  hollowed  out,  or  at  least 
deepened  by  the  hand  of  man,  enables  very  small  craft  to 
get  up  to  Kabara,  whilst  more  rarely,  that  is  to  say,  when 
the  inundations  are  at  their  height,  the  various  excavations 
behind  the  Kabara  dune  are  successively  filled  up,  and 
boats  can  reach  the  capital  itself  As  a  general  rule,  how- 
ever, merchandise  is  taken  into  Timbuktu  on  the  backs  of 
camels  and  asses,  the  route  varying  according  to  the  state 
of  the  river. 

The  ancient  capital  of  Nigritia,  or  the  Sudan,  as  it  was 
still  called  not  long  ago  in  geographical  text-books,  has  lost 


82  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

all  its  mystery  since  it  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  French, 
and  opinions  are  divided  as  to  its  present  and  future  posi- 
tion. My  friend  Felix  Dubois  has  described  it,  and  it  would 
be  alike  a  waste  of  time  and  presumption  on  my  part  to 
attempt  to  supplement  what  he  has  said  so  well.  I  shall 
content  myself  with  noting  the  reason  of  the  former  great 
commercial  importance  of  Timbuktu  ;  relatively  considered 
of  course.  "  Timbuktu,"  says  an  Arab  author,  "  is  the  point 
of  meeting  of  the  camel  and  the  canoe."  That  fact  alone 
would  not,  however,  be  enough  to  account  for  its  prosperity ; 
many  other  places  on  the  river  fulfil  this  condition,  as 
well  if  not  better  than  Timbuktu,  for,  as  we  can  ourselves 
testify,  the  canoe  and  the  camel  only  meet  there  a  few  days 
in  the  year,  and  not  always  even  as  often  as  that. 

In  my  opinion  we  have  to  seek  the  explanation  elsewhere, 
and  I  think  I  have  found  it.  Here  it  is :  camels  cannot 
with  impunity  approach  rivers  or  other  water-courses,  for 
this  reason.  The  banks  are  subject  to  constant  inundations, 
and,  especially  in  the  Niger  basin,  quantities  of  succulent 
grass,  containing  a  great  deal  of  water,  everywhere  spring 
up,  which,  though  the  camel  eats  them  gluttonously,  are 
fatal  to  the  "  ship  of  the  desert,"  used  as  it  is  to  dry  food. 

Now  by  a  strange  freak  of  nature,  the  part  of  the  desert, 
I  will  not  say  exactly  the  driest  part,  but  certainly  the 
portion  containing  neither  streams  nor  permanent  pools, 
that  vast  expanse  improperly  called  the  Sahara,  stretches 
up  to  the  very  gates  of  Timbuktu,  so  that  caravans  can 
reach  the  city  without  any  risk  to  the  animals.  In  a  word, 
may  we  not  say  that  Timbuktu  is  not  a  port  of  the  Niger 
in  the  Sahara,  but  a  port  of  the  Sahara  near  the  Niger  ? 

As  long  as  the  trade  of  Timbuktu  is  carried  on  chiefly  by 
caravans  coming  from  the  north,  it  will,  in  my  opinion, 
retain  its  importance,  but  as  soon  as  the  Sudan  railway  is 
completed,  merchandise  will  come  by  way  of  it  and  the 


FROM    KAYES   TO   TIMBUKTU  83 

river,  and  the  commerce  of  Timbuktu  will  be  reduced  to 
a  trifling  trade  in  salt,  which  is  dug  out  in  considerable 
quantities  from  the  mines  of  Towdeyni,  about  twenty  days' 
march  on  the  north. 

When  we  arrived,  we  could  only  bring  our  boats  up  to 
Kabera.  The  port  was  blocked  with  big  canoes  made 
of  planks  tied  together  in  the  manner  already  described, 


ik 

--■WK, 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^B ''  ^ ;' 

j^ 

A   MOSQUE   AT  TIMBUKTU. 

and  a  brisk  trade  in  salt  and  grain  was  going  on  on  the 
quays. 

The  next  day  I  went  to  Timbuktu,  and  was  received 
with  open  arms  by  the  commandant,  M.  Rejou,  who  was  in 
charge  of  the  whole  district. 

I  had  one  thing  very  much  at  heart,  and  I  set  to  work 
to  see  about  it  at  once.  It  was  to  persuade  Father 
Hacquart,  superior  of  Peres  blancs  mission  at  Timbuktu,  to 
accompany  us  on  our  expedition. 

When  I  said  persuade^  I  did  not  perhaps  use  quite  the 


84  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE    NIGER 

right  word,  for  I  did  not  for  one  moment  doubt  the  readiness 
of  the  good  father  to  go  with  us.  The  companion  of  Atta- 
noux  in  his  journey  amongst  the  Tuaregs  of  the  north, 
formerly  Commandant  des  Freres  armes  of  Mgr.  Lavigerie, 
Father  Hacquart  could  not  fail  to  be  won  over  by  the  idea 
of  accomplishing  a  similar  journey.  But  I  knew  him  to  be 
too  devoted  to  his  duty  to  hesitate  an  instant  between  a 
project,  however  attractive  to  his  tastes  and  desires,  and 
the  interests  of  the  mission,  which  had  been  under  his 
direction  at  Timbuktu  for  more  than  a  year,  and  to 
which  his  rare  qualities  had  already  given  such  life  and 
success. 

On  the  other  hand,  even  from  the  point  of  view  of  the 
work  to  which  Father  Hacquart  and  his  companions  had 
devoted  themselves,  going  down  the  Niger,  opening 
relations  with  the  natives  on  its  banks,  and  obtaining  all 
the  information  necessary  for  the  work  of  their  future 
evangelization,  was  really  perhaps  to  bring  about  the  good 
results  hoped  for  years  before  they  could  otherwise  have 
been  achieved.  The  aim  of  Father  Hacquart  was  really 
the  same  as  ours,  to  see,  to  study  on  the  spot,  and  to 
make  friends,  leaving  to  his  superiors  the  task  of  deciding 
how  his  future  campaign  should  be  carried  out. 

As  for  me,  nothing  could  be  better  for  the 'success  of  my 
undertaking  than  the  co-operation  of  Father  Hacquart. 
Already  familiar  with  the  manners  and  customs  of  the 
Tuaregs,  he  would  be  a  most  valuable  adviser  ;  a  dis- 
tinguished Arabic  scholar,  he  could  in  many  cases  converse 
without  an  interpreter  with  the  natives,  a  matter  of  the 
greatest  importance.  He  could,  moreover,  check  the  trans- 
lations and  reports  of  my  Arab  interpreter,  Tierno  Abdulaye 
Dem.  Then  his  intelligence,  the  loftiness  of  his  aims  and 
views,  the  uprightness  and  energy  of  his  character,  were  a 
sure  guarantee  that  in  him  I  should  find  a  most  valuable 


FATHER   HACQUART. 


FROM    KAYES   TO   TIMBUKTU  87 

controller  of  my  own  acts  and  schemes,  for  of  course  I 
should  ever  be  ready  to  listen  to  what  he  might  suggest. 

Father  Hacquart  turned  out  indeed  to  be  all  that  I  have 
just  described.  I  often  changed  all  my  plans  in  accordance 
with  his  advice,  and  I  never  had  cause  to  regret  having 
done  so.  He  must  pardon  me  for  giving  expression  here  to 
all  my  gratitude,  and  for  proclaiming  it  on  every  occasion 
as  loud  as  I  can,  for  it  was  in  a  very  great  measure  to  him 
I  owed  the  remarkable  fact,  that  my  Niger  expedition  was 
accomplished  in  the  midst  of  tribes  so  diverse  and  some- 
times badly  disposed  towards  the  French — without  the 
firing  of  a  single  shot. 

As  I  hoped.  Father  Hacquart  yielded  to  my  persuasions, 
and  we  now  numbered  five  Europeans. 

On  the  other  hand,  our  native  escort  was  reduced.  One 
of  our  coolies,  Matar  Samba,  had  been  out  of  sorts  ever 
since  we  left  Sansanding.  During  the  last  few  days  he 
had  become  worse,  and  both  Dr.  Taburet  and  a  medical 
man  at  Timbuktu  were  of  opinion  that  he  was  suffering 
from  tubercular  disease,  and  would  only  hamper,  not  help 
me,  in  the  further  journey.  I  decided  therefore  to  leave 
him  at  Timbuktu,  and  when  I  came  back  from  Dakar  on 
our  return  I  had  the  pleasure  of  finding  him  much  better,  if 
not  completely  cured. 

Aided  by  Father  Hacquart,  I  at  once  opened  relations 
with  Hamadi,  the  Kunta  of  whom  I  have  already  spoken, 
and  he  promised  to  do  all  he  could  to  persuade  his  relation 
Aluatta  to  go  with  us.  It  was  significant  that  when  I 
begged  Hamadi  to  join  us  himself,  he  replied,  "  No  ;  I 
might  merely  arouse  opposition,  and  you  might  suffer 
through  my  being  with  you.  I  would  rather  write  to 
Aluatta  ;  he  will  be  more  likely  to  say  yes  then,  for,  like  a 
dutiful  relation,  I  shall  only  urge  him  to  come  and  share 
the  windfall  of  all  your  beautiful  presents. 


88  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE    NIGER 

The  next  thing  I  did  was  to  try  and  meet  at 
Timbuktu  with  some  natives  who  were  on  friendly 
relations  with  the  Awellimiden,  the  important  Tuareg 
tribe  to  which  I  shall  so  often  have  to  refer  later,  but 
whether  they  spoke  the  truth  or  were  deceiving  me,  one 
and  all  declared  that  they  knew  absolutely  nothing  about 
them. 

To  make  up  for  this,  however,  a  native  of  Tuat,  a  certain 
Bechir  Uld  Mbirikat,  who  had  long  lived  at  Timbuktu, 
and  whom  I  had  met  before,  gave  me  some  letters  for  his 
cousin  Mohammed,  who  was  living  amongst  the  Igwadaren 
Tuaregs,  and  for  Sheriff  Salla  Uld  Kara,  chief  of  the 
village  of  Tosaye,  who  had  once  been  the  pupil  of  Hamet 
Beckay,  and  the  friend  of  Barth. 

Moreover,  Bechir  gave  me  a  valuable  bit  of  advice,  which 
I  immediately  followed,  without,  however,  fully  realizing  its 
importance  at  the  time.  This  counsel,  perhaps,  contributed 
more  than  anything  we  did  to  the  success  of  our  expedition. 
"  Tell  them,"  said  Bechir,  "  that  you  are  the  son  of  Abdul 
Kerim."  Now  Abdul  Kerim  was  the  Arab  name  assumed 
by  Dr.  Barth  during  his  journey.  This  custom  of  taking 
an  Arab  name  seemed  almost  comic,  and  reminded  me  of  a 
little  play  I  once  saw  acted  at  the  Chatelet  Theatre  in 
Paris.  I  forget  the  name  of  it,  but  a  traveller  figured  in  it, 
who  took  his  servant  with  him  to  the  heart  of  Africa.  The 
latter,  who  was  passionately  fond  of  travelling,  and  took 
an  eager  interest  in  all  the  doings  and  adventures  of 
explorers,  made  but  one  request,  and  that  was  to  be 
allowed  to  change  his  name  of  Joseph  to  that  of  Mo- 
hammed Ben  Abdullah.  "  It  was  more  euphonious,"  he 
said,  and  the  audience  roared  with  laughter. 

Well,  Joseph  was  quite  right,  and  if  Barth  had  not  done 
as  he  did,  the  negroes  and  Tuaregs  would  never  have 
remembered    his    European    name,   it  would   never   have 


FROM    KAYES   TO   TIMBUKTU  89 

become  engraved  on  their  memories,  it  would  never  have 
been  transmitted  to  their  descendants,  and  I  should  not 
have  been  able  to  solve  all  difficulties,  however  great,  and 
emerge  safely  from  every  situation,  however  embarrassing, 
by  the  simple  words  "  I  am  the  son,  or  rather  the  nephew 
of  Abdul  Kerim." 

It  is  impossible  to  admire  too  much  the  lofty,  upright 
character  of  Barth,  which  so  impressed  all  with  whom  he 
came  in  contact  on  his  journey,  that  nearly  half  a  century 
after  his  death  the  mere  fact  of  his  having  traversed  a 
district — poor  as  he  was,  and  exposed  to  all  manner  of 
dangers,  the  friendship  of  Beckay  his  only  safeguard — 
should  be  enough  to  open  the  way  for  a  pretended  relation 
of  his. 

How  few  travellers  could  boast  of  having  done  as  much, 
even  in  modern  times.  Too  many  explorers  have  indeed, 
after  forcing  their  way  through  a  country  against  the 
will  of  the  natives,  left  behind  them  a  legacy  of  increased 
difficulty  and  danger  to  their  successors. 

I  was  very  anxious  to  secure  the  services  of  a  political 
agent  with  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  country,  and  the 
language  of  the  Tuaregs.  I  wished  to  send  him,  if  I  could 
find  him,  in  advance  of  our  party  to  take  letters  to  the 
chiefs,  or  to  plead  our  cause  with  them. 

Acting  on  the  advice  of  Hamadi,  I  chose  a  certain  Sidi 
Hamet,  distantly  connected  with  the  Kuntas,  and  then 
employed  in  the  Custom  House  at  Timbuktu,  under  one 
Said,  the  interpreter  of  the  Post-Office. 

I  must  do  this  justice  to  Said,  he  yielded  with  anything 
but  a  good  grace  to  the  employment  of  his  subordinate  on 
our  service,  and  did  more  to  dissuade  him  than  to  further 
our  wishes.  We  had  to  invoke  the  aid  of  Commandant 
Rejou,  and  later,  at  Tosaye,  Sidi  Hamet  piteously  en- 
treated  me   to   let  him    go   back,   and    I   expect    Said's 


90  THE    EXPLORATION    OF   THE    NIGER 

objection  to  his  joining  us  had  something  to  do  with  his 
faltering.  However,  I  forgive  him  with  all  my  heart.  Sidi 
Hamet  was  the  interpreter's  right  hand,  his  chief  source  of 
information  on  every  subject,  and  he  found  it  hard  work  to 
fulfil  his  own  duties,  even  those  of  an  interpreter,  without 
him. 

On  the  1 6th  I  went  back  to  spend  a  day  at  Kabara, 
where  I  had  invited  all  the  notables  of  Timbuktu  to  come 
and  listen  to  the  wonders  of  the  phonograph.  It  was  an 
exhibition  which  long  dwelt  in  the  memory  of  those 
present.  Amongst  the  most  attentive  listeners  were  the 
two  sons  of  the  chief  of  the  Eastern  Kuntas,  who  lives  at 
Mabrok.  I  felt  sure  that  the  rumour  of  the  extraordinary 
things  I  had  done  would  precede  me. 

Commandant  Rejou  had  already  warned  Sakhaui,  or 
Sarrawi,  chief  of  the  Igwadaren  Aussa,  the  first  Tuareg  tribe 
we  should  meet  on  our  way  down  the  river,  of  our  approach. 
In  the  evening  two  envoys  from  this  chief  arrived  with  a 
missive,  which  it  was  almost  impossible  to  decipher,  but  from 
which,  in  spite  of  its  ludicrous  phraseology,  we  managed  to 
make  out  two  things,  one  being  that  Sakhaui  had  no  desire 
to  see  us,  the  other  that  he  was  very  much  afraid  of  us. 

We  did  our  best  to  reassure  and  impress  the  messengers, 
and  finally  succeeded  in  convincing  them  that  we  had  no 
evil  intentions  with  regard  to  the  Igwadaren,  and  armed 
with  a  fresh  document  from  us  they  set  off  to  return  to 
their  chief. 

Meanwhile  Sidi  Hamet,  who  had  been  well  coached  in 
what  he  was  to  say  and  do,  had  started  on  his  way  to 
Aluatta,  to  ask  him  to  meet  us  at  Kagha,  a  little  village  on 
the  right  bank  about  thirty-one  miles  from  Timbuktu.  For 
the  first  time  I  now  announced  my  pretended  relationship 
with  Abdul  Kerim,  taking  myself  the  Arab  name  of  Abd  el 
Kader,  or  the  servant  of  the  Most  High. 


FROM    KAYES   TO   TIMBUKTU  91 

This  mission  with  the  Kuntas  accomplished,  Sidi 
Hamet  was  to  go  to  the  Igwadaren  of  Sakhaui  and  wait 
for  us. 

Having  settled  everything  to  the  best  of  our  ability, 
visited  the  boats,  and  repaired  any  little  damage  which  had 
been  done  by  the  way,  we  had  now  only  to  give  ourselves 
up  to  the  current  of  the  river  and  to  the  will  of  God. 

It  was  not  without  a  certain  emotion  that,  on  Wednesday, 


WE  LEAVE   KABARA. 


January  22,  we  started  from  Kabara,  seen  off  by  all  our 
brother  officers  of  the  garrison  of  Timbuktu,  and  escorted 
to  our  boats  by  a  great  crowd  of  natives,  who,  with  more 
or  less  enthusiasm,  invoked  the  protection  of  Allah  on  our 
behalf. 

As  long  as  our  boats  were  in  sight  of  the  station  we 
could  see  handkerchiefs  and  helmets  waving  to  us  in  token 
of  adieu,  and  when  the  flag  of  the  fort  disappeared  from 
view    our   hearts    felt   somewhat   oppressed,   for   we   were 


92 


THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 


leaving  all  that  in  our  exile  from  France  represented  our 
native  country.  Henceforth  we  five  white  men,  with  our 
twenty-eight  black  followers,  were  thrown  on  our  own 
resources,  and  had  to  depend  upon  ourselves  alone.  How 
many  of  us  would  return  ?  How  many  of  us  were  destined 
to  sleep  our  last  sleep  beneath  the  soil  of  Africa  ? 


AT   TIMBUKTU. 


^      #'        -  ••    1BH 

^1  1  Ml  -^fefei'^i^K^^:  '  ''t^^^Sj^^BMMHj^bMi 

feSd£-...^ 

Himai^.  ioJ^^^^H 

■*i 

L  ••v.-...-*iir  •  t'^..^.. 

4^^' 

jP^^^HHiTi^:-'  -  -— ^ 

!     ■ 

*"'■       '          ^          ■                                                              ' 

> 

k 

3 

DROVE  OF  OXEN. 


CHAPTER    III 


FROM   TIMBUKTU    TO   TOSAYE 


On  January  22  we  made  a  very  short  stage,  and  moored 
about  mid-day  at  Geigelia,  a  little  village  picturesquely 
perched  on  rising  ground  of  a  reddish  hue,  a  little  below 
the  mouth  of  the  stream,  which,  as  I  have  said,  gives  access 
to  Day  and  Kabara. 

We  determined  to  spend  the  afternoon  in  making  things 
snug.  Hitherto  we  had  put  off  from  day  to  day  the  task 
of  arranging  our  cabins.  Now  our  three  little  craft  are 
all  the  world  to  us,  the  floating  castles  which  must  drift 
down  with  us  to  the  sea,  Inck  Allah!  (God  willing),  as  the 
Mussulmans  say.  We  must  shake  down  in  them  as 
comfortably  as  possible. 

I  occupy  the  fore-cabin  of  the  Davoust.  On  one  side  is 
my  plank  bed,  with,  for  mattress,  the  wrappings  of  the 

93 


94  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

presents  which  we  take  out  one  by  one  as  required, 
replenishing  them  from  the  bales  in  the  hold. 

On  the  other  side  is  a  big  table,  with  packing  cases  serving 
as  legs.  Everywhere  books  and  instruments,  an  iron  chest 
containing  the  more  valuable  presents :  caftans,  velvet 
burnous,  gold-embroidered  turbans,  etc. 

On  the  mats  which  cover  the  partitions,  I  have  fixed 
the  photographs  of  a  famous  singer,  purchased  in  the  Rue 
de  Rivoli,  in  a  moment  of  musical  enthusiasm.  I  found 
them  by  chance  at  the  bottom  of  a  trunk,  into  which  they 
must  have  slipped  when  I  was  leaving  France.  These 
portraits,  as  will  be  seen,  played  a  part  in  the  politics  of 
the  Niger.  Opposite  them,  an  engraving  of  the  President 
of  the  Republic,  or  rather.  Sultan  of  France,  as  they  call 
him  here.  Nor  must  the  phonograph  in  its  ingenious  case 
be  forgotten,  with  the  voltaic  piles,  Geissler's  tubes,  little 
electric  lamps,  forming  a  fairy  crown,  which  is  lighted  on 
pressing  a  button.  Such  articles  as  have  hitherto  figured 
in  the  baggage  of  none  but  the  passengers  of  Jules  Verne. 

The  after-cabin  is  Pere  Hacquart's  sanctum,  and  also  the 
arsenal.  The  Father  rests  peacefully  on  a  couch  of  rice 
and  biscuit  tins,  with  the  conventional  bedding  of  package 
wrappings ;  on  the  partitions,  the  ceiling,  everywhere,  I 
have  fixed  guns  for  presentation,  revolvers,  etc.,  for  ex- 
change ;  a  goodly  number  of  cases  of  cartridges,  moreover, 
give  this  retreat  the  appearance  of  an  armoury.  On  the 
bridge,  all  round  the  machine-gun,  are  more  cases,  which 
serve  as  benches  for  the  oarsmen. 

Our  hold  is  a  masterpiece  of  packing,  due  to  Baudry's 
ingenuity.  I  defy  the  most  skilful  to  insert  as  much  as  a 
needle  more.  On  board  the  Aube,  the  fore-cabin  protects 
Baudry  and  Bluzet ;  there  is  not  much  elbow-room  for  two, 
in  such  a  confined  space.  The  hinder  one  is  reserved  for 
Taburet  and  his  medicine  chests. 


FROM   TIMBUKTU    TO   TOSAYE 


95 


The  little  barge  Dantec,  also  provided  with  a  shelter,  will 
carry  all  surplus  articles.  At  present,  until  it  is  used  as  an 
infirmary,  which  I  trust  may  be  as  seldom  as  possible,  it 
is  the  refuge  of  the  destitute,  where  Suleyman,  the  inter- 
preter, and  the  Arab  translator,  Tierno  Abdulaye  Dem,  are 
quartered. 

I  may  now  describe  more  minutely  our  dusky  auxiliaries. 
At  first  there  were  twenty  coolies,  reduced  to  nineteen  by 


THE    '  AUBE  '    AND   HER   CREW. 


the  defection  of  Matar  Samba.  Their  head-man  Digui,  of 
whom  I  have  spoken,  will  be  judged  by  his  deeds  ;  there  is 
no  need  now  to  mention  all  the  blessings  he  deserves. 

Suleyman  Gundiamu  and  Tierno  are  the  scholars  of  the 
party.  Suleyman  almost  speaks  French,  although  he  says 
la  noce  for  un  os,  cherchicane  for  certificate  and  always 
translates  keffir  (Infidel)  by  Christian.  As  for  Tierno,  he 
is  a  sly,  cunning  dog,  of  whose  fidelity  I  have  often  had  my 
doubts :  evidence  is  against  me,  however,  and  I  must  do 


96  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE    NIGER 

him  the  justice  to  say,  that  on  all  occasions  he  has  sided 
with  us  against  his  co-religionists,  his  compatriots,  and  even 
his  relations.  Idle  as  a  dormouse  in  everything  but  writing 
Arabic,  but  isn't  that  just  what  he  is  for  ?  Altogether  he 
is  not  a  bad  boy,  and  we  should  scarcely  find  a  better 
fellow  amongst  his  people. 

Our  carpenter,  Abdulaye,  is  a  big  Wolof,  strong  as 
Hercules,  intelligent,  only  idle  by  fits,  and  not  very  serious 
ones  either. 

"  Abdulaye,  something  has  gone  wrong  with  your  work- 
ing hand  !  "  This  is  how  we  call  him  to  order  ;  if  the  appeal 
is  not  attended  to,  a  good  blow  follows  as  punishment ; 
Abdulaye  is  aware  of  his  guilt,  sets  to  work  again,  and  does 
the  tasks  of  four. 

Abdulaye  is  certainly  not  a  marabout.  He  is  even 
addicted  to  spirituous  liquors,  but  he  has  not  had  many 
opportunities  on  the  journey  of  indulging  this  taste ;  he 
was,  however,  overcome  on  our  arrival  at  Dahomey.  For 
six  days  we  never  set  eyes  on  him,  for  he  was  never  sober. 

My  first  acquaintance  with  Abdulaye  arose  from  his  love 
of  the  bottle.  In  May  1894,  when  I  took  command  of  the 
flotilla,  Abdulaye  having  found  the  door  of  the  store-room 
open,  gave  way  to  his  propensity,  and  I  found  him  dead 
drunk  beside  a  very  respectable  number  of  empty  bottles. 
The  awakening  was  anything  but  pleasant,  and  Abdulaye 
never  forgets  the  capers  he  cut  on  that  occasion.  Such  is 
our  staff,  or  I  should  rather  say,  these  are  the  native  officers 
of  our  expedition.  Besides  this,  each  of  us  has  his  own 
servant.  Mine  is  Mame,  an  intelligent  Saracolais,  who 
speaks  Songhay,  the  language  of  the  blacks  on  the  banks  of 
the  Niger  from  Jenne  to  below  Say.  He  is  a  very  faithful 
and  devoted  lad  ;  the  point  about  him  is  the  excessive 
deliberation  of  every  motion,  which  gives  him  something  of 
the  appearance  of  a  chameleon.     Lucky  fault,  or  rather 


FROM   TIMBUKTU    TO    TOSAYE  97 

precious  gift,  which  all  who  have  been  served  by  Sudanese 
will  appreciate.  Thanks  to  it,  Mame  has  never  broken 
anything  of  mine. 

Baudry's  servant's  name  is  Mussa  ;  his  father  is  head- 
man of  Diamu,  a  village  on  the  banks  of  the  Senegal.  He 
is  the  philosopher,  the  learned  man  of  our  military  estab- 
lishment. He  reads  and  writes  French  pretty  correctly, 
but  his  studies  occupy  some  of  the  attention  due  to  his 
master.  If  Baudry  has  employed  his  talents  as  a  teacher 
to  the  full  on  a  most  willing  pupil,  in  return  his  boots  have 
seldom  been  blacked — or  rather  greased — in  the  course  of 
the  voyage. 

Fate  decreed  that  Bluzet  should  have  as  servant  a  son 
of  the  blacksmith  of  Mussa's  father.  Fily  is  his  name,  and 
by  reason  of  his  parentage  he  is  the  confidant  and  devoted 
slave  of  Mussa. 

Provided  he  is  treated  firmly,  Fily  is  an  excellent  servant, 
and  a  cook  of  the  first  order  (for  that  country,  be  it  under- 
stood), and  the  cakes  we  used  to  call  his  nougats  aux 
arachides,  have  often  been  fully  appreciated  at  our  table. 

Lastly,  Father  Hacquart  and  Taburet  have  two  boys  at 
their  disposal,  both  answering  to  the  name  of  Mamadu  ;  to 
distinguish  them  one  is  called  Father  Mamadu,  the  other 
Doctor  Mamadu. 

Add  to  these  a  yellow  dog,  Meyer  by  name,  why  so 
called  I  cannot  say,  and  the  menagerie  is  complete. 

We  did  possess  two  cats,  one  an  excellent  swimmer,  in 
spite  of  all  preconceived  notions  ;  but  these  little  animals, 
who  behaved  themselves  anything  but  decently  on  board, 
disappeared  in  the  course  of  a  very  few  days. 

In  spite  of  his  denials,  I  have  always  suspected  Bluzet,  a 
sworn  enemy  of  the  feline  race,  of  aiding  and  abetting  their 
desertion,  for  they  seemed  to  have  a  special  grudge  against 
him. 

H 


98  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

I  have  forgotten  old  Abdul  Dori,  but  he  did  not  make  a 
long  stay  on  board.  I  have  already  mentioned  that  I 
suspected  him  of  evil  designs  in  taking  service  with  us. 
He  got  me  to  advance  him  a  pretty  round  sum  on  the 
voyage  to  Massina,  which  he  said  he  owed  to  one  of  his 
countrymen,  and  desired  to  repay  before  he  entered  upon  a 
venture  so  full  of  danger.  As  soon  as  the  sly  rogue  had 
gained  his  end,  he  changed  his  tactics.  From  Sego,  ac- 
cording to  him,  the  voyage  would  be  comparatively  easy. 
His  debt  paid,  he  attempted  to  terrify  my  coolies,  telling 
them  the  most  ridiculous  tales  about  the  ferocity  of  the 
Tuaregs,  and  giving  the  most  discouraging  account  of  the 
rapids,  which  in  the  end  we  unfortunately  found  partly 
true. 

He  soon  discovered  he  was  wasting  his  time.  My  men 
came  of  their  own  accord,  and  reported  that  Abdul  was 
trying  to  dishearten  them.  I  soon  made  him  understand  I 
would  not  stand  that  kind  of  thing.  Seeing  the  failure  of 
these  manoeuvres,  and  in  no  way  anxious  to  remain  with 
us,  he  shammed  sickness,  pretending  to  be  attacked  with 
dysentery.  The  doctor  soon  discovered  the  trick,  and  I 
told  him  that,  ill  or  well,  he  would  have  to  follow  me. 

His  plan  having  miscarried,  he  set  about  making  himself 
really  ill,  and  lay  down  to  sleep  without  any  covering  on 
the  chilliest  nights.  At  this  game,  if  he  did  not  procure 
the  dysentery  of  his  dreams,  he  at  least  contracted  inflam- 
mation of  both  lungs,  which  developed  the  very  day  of  our 
departure.  He  remained  two  days  longer  with  us ;  then 
really  seriously  ill,  he  became  delirious.  Moved  with  pity, 
I  decided  to  send  him  back  to  Timbuktu  in  a  canoe  hired 
at  the  village  of  Burrem.  I  don't  know  what  became  of 
him,  but  I  advise  those  who  may  come  across  him  here- 
after, and  are  deceived  by  his  honeyed  words  and  ways,  to 
beware  of  him.    As  far  as  we  are  concerned,  I  consider  it  a 


FROM    TIMBUKTU    TO   TOSAYE  99 

blessing  that  his  cowardice  overcame  the  desire  for  doing 
evil.  He  might  have  proved  a  great  source  of  danger, 
especially  at  Say,  his  native  place,  where  he  would  have 
aided  and  abetted  our  enemies. 

The  first  and  most  important  object  of  the  expedition 
was  to  trace  as  correctly  as  possible  the  course  of  the  river 
which  we  had  to  follow.  For  this  purpose  I  had  observing 
instruments  of  very  accurate  construction  made  for  each 
barge,  which  would  afford  us  the  means  of  making  a  tri- 
angulation  of  the  river  en  route.  Two  barges  were  to  coast 
along  the  banks,  while  the  third  kept  in  the  deep  channel. 

We  tried  this  plan  on  January  23,  the  first  day  on 
which  we  navigated  an  almost  unknown  region.  It  was 
soon  found  impracticable.  By  evening  we  had  gone  less 
than  four  and  a  half  miles.  At  this  rate,  counting  necessary 
stoppages,  it  would  take  a  year  to  reach  the  mouth  of  the 
river.  We  therefore  adopted  the  following  plan :  the 
Davoust  followed  the  left  bank  ;  the  Aube  the  right  one 
while  on  surveying  duty,  the  two  barges  frequently  taking 
their  places. 

At  the  same  time,  Baudry  on  the  Dantec  tacked  about  in 
search  of  the  deep  channel,  taking  frequent  soundings. 
Any  inaccuracies  were  guarded  against  by  taking  the  mean 
draught  of  the  two  larger  vessels,  and  constantly  de- 
termining the  position  by  astronomical  observations. 

This  system  was  invariably  followed  down  to  Ansongo, 
that  is,  for  the  whole  navigable  course  of  the  Niger. 
Though  we  did  not  secure  the  accuracy  of  a  regular  survey, 
still  to  me  it  appeared  quite  enough ;  for  the  first  vessels 
that  might  come  after  us,  will  possess  an  indication  of  the 
position  of  the  deep  channel  relatively  to  the  banks  and 
their  configuration,  the  distances  from  one  point  to  another, 
the  position  of  the  villages,  and  the  peculiarities  of  the 
soil,  etc. 


lOO  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

Below  Ansongo,  in  the  region  of  the  rapids,  Baudry  and 
I  had  to  abandon  all  survey  work,  and  devote  our  attention 
exclusively  to  the  boats.  Bluzet  completed  the  map,  which 
is  of  no  practical  value,  as  it  is  impossible  to  determine  any 
navigable  channel,  especially  for  steamers,  in  those  dan- 
gerous rapids.  The  only  object  of  its  existence  is  to  prove 
that  a  navigable  channel  does  not  exist.  So  that  all  that 
can  be  done  is  to  choose  the  least  undesirable  means  of 
access  to  the  Western  Sudan  from  among  the  many  that 
have  been  proposed. 

After  passing  the  villages  of  Koa,  Burrem  and  Bori, 
where  the  people  came  out  in  canoes  with  presents  of  goats, 
sheep,  eggs  and  poultry,  we  arrived  abreast  of  Kagha,  about 
one  o'clock  on  the  25th.  The  moment  we  reached  the 
mouth  of  the  creek  which  leads  to  it — for  the  village  is  not 
on  the  main  stream,  but  a  little  inland — we  were  hailed 
from  a  canoe  by  a  great  giant  with  an  intelligent  face  and 
woolly  hair,  forming  a  halo  round  his  head,  which  was  more 
picturesque  than  clean.  He  was  a  Kunta,  knew  French, 
had  been  in  the  villages  of  Medine  and  Nioro,  in  the  French 
Sudan,  and  even  spoke  a  little  Soninke,  the  maternal 
language  of  most  of  our  coolies. 

He  acted  as  pilot  for  us,  but,  in  spite  of  all  his  efforts,  we 
could  not  get  up  to  Kagha,  for  there  was  not  sufficient 
depth  of  water ;  so  we  had  to  pitch  our  camp  at  the  foot 
of  a  little  hill  covered  with  dwarf  palms  rather  more  than 
a  mile  from  the  nearest  huts. 

A  deputation  of  the  Kuntas  of  the  village  soon  joined  us, 
who  told  us  that  Sidi  Hamet  had  arrived  two  days  before 
with  my  letter  for  Aluatta  ;  but  the  latter  was  from  home, 
and  no  one  knew  exactly  where  to  find  him,  nor  if  my 
missive  had  reached  him. 

In  fact,  fifteen  days  before,  a  band  of  Kel  Gossi,  a  Tuareg 
tribe  whose  territory  is  about  the  centre  of  the  bend  of  the 


FROM   TIMBUKTU    TO    TOSAYE  loi 

Niger,  had  carried  off  a  hundred  head  of  cattle  belonging 
to  the  chief  of  the  southern  Kuntas  ;  Aluatta  had  set  off 
to  overtake  the  raiders,  and  induce  them  in  the  name  of 
Allah  and  Mahomet  to  restore  their  ill-gotten  gains. 

However  extraordinary  the  following  custom  may  appear, 
it  is  actually  prevalent  in  the  Tuareg  districts.  One  tribe 
steals  from  a  neighbour  all  or  part  of  his  herds  ;  if  the 
latter  is  not  strong  enough  to  recover  by  force  that  which 
he  has  been  deprived  of,  he  tries  conciliation,  and  generally 
regains,  if  not  all,  at  least  a  portion  of  his  chattels.  This 
invariably  occurs  when  the  injured  party  is  a  marabout, 
and  be  it  remembered  these  raids  do  not  involve  war :  the 
same  Kel  Gossi  will  be  quite  prepared  to  come  the  next 
day  to  ask  Aluatta  to  implore  for  them  the  protection  of 
Heaven,  and  to  purchase  talismans  from  him. 

Whatever  the  result,  this  troublesome  episode  made  me 
fear  I  should  not  see  Aluatta.  Unable  to  confer  with  him, 
I  betook  myself  to  his  relations  and  endeavoured  to  secure 
their  friendship,  telling  them  the  story  of  my  connection 
with  Barth,  or  Abdul  Kerim. 

This  produced  a  marvellous  change  in  their  demeanour ; 
reserved  before,  they  became  most  cordial.  To  strengthen 
the  effect  still  further  I  brought  the  phonograph  into  play. 
One  of  the  head  Kuntas  sang  an  Arab  song  in  his  tent.  It 
was  really  the  battle  hymn  of  Hamet  Beckay,  the  friend  of 
my  "  uncle,"  and  it  was  really  something  to  see  the  amaze- 
ment of  all  when  the  instrument  repeated  the  song.  From 
that  time  we  were  the  best  of  friends.  All  expressed  their 
regret  that  I  could  not  have  a  palaver  with  their  chief. 
"Not  wishing  to  deceive  you,"  said  they,  "we  will  not 
promise  a  visit  from  Aluatta,  but,  if  you  like  to  wait,  you 
shall  see  his  brother,  Abiddin,  who  at  this  moment  is  at 
Arhlal,  about  twelve  miles  away.  We  will  send  and  fetch 
him  at  once." 


I02  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

The  proposal  pleased  me  too  much  to  be  refused,  and 
the  messengers  departed. 

Along  with  our  friends  the  Kuntas,  there  came  a  little 
band  of  Tuareg  Kel  Temulai,  who  lived  further  down 
stream  in  the  direction  of  Ganto,  who  were  evidently  sent 
to  give  information. 

They  were  tall,  strong  fellows,  spare  and  active.  As 
this  tribe  has  no  camp  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  I  told 
them  I  should  ascend  the  creek  which  leads  to  Ganto  for 
the  purpose  of  seeing  them.  In  fact,  I  wished  to  ascertain 
their  intentions.  The  Kel  Temulai  were  one  of  the  two 
tribes  which  divided  the  dominion  of  the  region  around 
Timbuktu  ;  Kabara  and  the  southern  portion  of  the  plain 
which  surrounds  the  city  belong  to  them.  The  French 
drove  them  from  it,  and  they  fell  back  towards  the  east, 
gathering  round  their  chief  Madunia,  who  lived  near  Ganto 
and  was  more  than  a  hundred  years  old. 

On  the  next  day,  the  26th,  a  despatch  actually  arrived, 
which  the  Commandant  of  Timbuktu'  had  managed  to 
send  on  to  us  by  canoe.  A  fortnight  later  we  were  to 
receive  yet  another  at  Rhergo,  and  our  delight  may  be 
imagined,  for  we  had  had  no  news  from  home  for  ten 
months. 

In  the  afternoon  Abiddin  arrived.  Tall,  strong,  and 
well-made,  he  looked  anything  but  amiable,  and  was  far 
from  communicative.  I  confess  his  first  appearance  struck 
me  as  anything  but  pleasing.  He  was  by  no  means 
anxious  to  get  into  our  good  graces,  and  replied  very 
dryly  to  my  protestations  of  friendship.  We  talked 
together  for  about  an  hour,  but  I  failed  altogether  to 
mollify  him,  and  I  began  to  despair  of  bringing  him  round. 

In  the  evening  I  found  out  something  more  about  him, 
and  the  position  he  occupies  in  the  country.  He  is  older 
than  Aluatta,  but  from  his  very  boyhood  he  showed  such 


FROM    TIMBUKTU   TO   TOSAYE  103 

a  warlike  disposition,  and  one  so  very  unlike  the  gentle 
nature  which  is  naturally  expected  of  a  marabout,  that 
his  father  named  Aluatta  his  successor  instead  of  him, 
refusing  him  the  baraka  or  paternal  blessing  usually 
bestowed  on  the  first-born.  Does  not  this  remind  one  of 
the  story  of  Jacob  and  Esau  ? 

However,  Abiddin  did  not  seem  to  mind  the  elevation 
of  his  brother  to  what  should  have  been  his  own  position 
as  religious  chief  of  the  Kuntas,  but  devoted  himself  gladly 
to  the  direction  of  the  warlike  expeditions  of  his  tribe. 

He  seems  to  excel  as  a  leader,  and  the  Kel  Antassar, 
the  tribe  which  longest  resisted  French  influence  in  the 
districts  round  Timbuktu,  knew  something  of  his  valour. 
At  the  head  of  a  little  body  of  men  he  surprised  their 
camp  at  least  a  hundred  times,  and  I  now  began  to  under- 
stand the  real  reason  why  Abiddin  had  treated  me  so 
coldly ;  he  would  have  liked  to  have  been  allowed  to  take 
his  part  in  the  play  now  that,  after  what  he  thought  our 
culpable  inactivity  of  more  than  a  year,  we  had  again 
made  up  our  minds  to  act.  This  would  have  given  him 
a  fine  chance  of  revenging  himself  on  his  old  enemy 
N'Guna,  the  chief  of  the  Kel  Antassar.  It  really  was  a 
pity  that  the  authorities  at  Timbuktu  had  ignored  the 
existence  and  the  character  of  such  a  man.  If  only  as 
guides,  he  and  his  Kuntas  would  have  been  admirable 
auxiliaries  for  us. 

We  concocted  a  diplomatic  plan  to  win  the  confidence 
of  Abiddin.  When  he  came  to  see  us  the  next  morning 
I  dwelt  much  upon  my  relation  to  Abdul  Kerim,  and  I 
roused  his  curiosity  by  showing  off  the  phonograph.  Then 
when  his  manner  became  a  little  less  churlish,  I  held  my 
peace  and  let  Father  Hacquart  have  his  turn.  The  father 
began  by  taking  him  roundly  to  task  in  Arabic  for  his 
want  of  politeness  and  amiability.     He  actually  brought 


I04  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

Abiddin  to  acknowledge  himself  in  the  wrong,  and  ended 
by  getting  him  to  promise  not  only  to  help  us  himself,  but 
to  give  us  recommendations  to  his  friends.  In  the  evening 
he  actually  returned  bringing  us  three  letters,  one  for  Salla 
Uld  Kara,  another  for  a  certain  sheriff  named  Hameit, 
whom  we  should  meet  beyond  Al  Walidj,  and  the  third 
and  most  important  for  Madidu,  chief  of  the  Awellimiden 
Tuaregs. 

This  letter  for  Madidu  simply  delighted  me.  I  was  to 
some  extent  already  acquainted  with  the  various  tribes 
we  should  have  to  deal  with  on  our  way  down  the  river. 
The  first  were  the  Igwadaren,  divided  into  two  sections 
hostile  to  each  other,  under  two  chiefs,  brothers,  though 
enemies,  named  Sakhaui  and  Sakhib.  Beyond  them  we 
should  come  to  the  Kel  Es  Suk,  marabouts  of  the  great 
Tuareg  family,  a  small  tribe  of  the  Tademeket  Kel 
Burrum,  to  whose  chief,  Yunes  by  name,  Abiddin  also 
gave  us  a  letter ;  and  beyond  them,  that  is  to  say,  after 
passing  Tosaye,  we  should  enter  the  territory  of  the  great 
Awellimiden  Confederation,  but  how  far  it  extends  I  did 
not  as  yet  know. 

Abiddin,  who  had  passed  a  month  with  the  chief  of  the 
Awellimiden  a  year  ago,  could  not  say  enough  in  his 
praise,  whilst,  on  the  other  hand,  he  warned  us  very 
earnestly  against  the  small  tribes  addicted  to  pilfering 
through  whose  districts  we  should  have  to  pass  to  begin 
with.  "  Madidu,"  he  said,  "  is  a  lion,  the  other  chiefs  are 
mere  jackals  ! " 

"Madidu,"  he  added,  "makes  war,  and  of  course  the 
plunder  he  takes  in  war  is  a  lawful  prize,  but  he  would  scorn 
to  pillage  peaceful  folk,  such  as  the  negro  cultivators  of  the 
soil,  or  inoffensive  merchants  with  no  one  to  fight  for  them, 
in  the  reckless  manner  of  the^Kel  Temulai  or  the  Igwadaren. 
There  is  no  one  higher  than  Madidu  unless  it  be  God." 


FROM    TIMBUKTU    TO    TOSAYE  105 

Of  course  I  knew  that  Abiddin  exaggerated,  as  all 
Orientals  do,  and  that  much  of  his  enthusiasm  for  Madidu 
was  only  cupboard  love,  the  result  of  the  good  cheer  he 
had  enjoyed  in  his  camp.  Still  I  gathered  from  what  he 
said  that  his  chief  really  was  somebody  worth  reckoning 
with.  Writing  to  the  Lieutenant-Governor  of  the  French 
Sudan  by .  the  returning  canoe  which  had  brought  our 
despatches  I  said,  "  I  am  now  pretty  well  convinced  that  if 
Madidu  really  wishes  it  we  shall  pass  without  hindrance, 
but  that  if  he  opposes  us  we  shall  have  the  greatest 
difficulty  in  going  down  the  river."  This  was,  however, 
but  a  faqon  de  parler,  for  I  was  mentally  resolved 
that,  with  or  without  Madidu's  help  and  permission,  we 
would  go  down  the  Niger,  though  if  he  did  try  to 
prevent  us,  we  should  most  likely  leave  our  bones  in  the 
river. 

It  will  readily  be  understood  how  much  this  passage 
through  the  Awellimiden  district  occupied  our  thoughts. 
It  was  the  chief  subject  of  all  our  talks  with  Abiddin,  and 
we  had  every  reason  to  congratulate  ourselves  on  having  so 
far  won  him  over.  But  we  meant  to  do  far  more  than  that. 
He  was  altogether  our  friend  now,  and  never  left  the  boat 
except  to  eat.  I  reminded  him  of  the  former  grandeur  of 
his  race,  of  Sidi  Moktar  and  his  brothers,  who  had  acted  as 
mediators  between  the  tribes  of  the  neighbourhood,  and 
pointed  out  to  him  that  it  was  the  outburst  of  fanaticism, 
against  which  his  grand-uncle  had  struggled  so  hard,  which 
had  led  to  the  decrease  of  the  influence  of  the  Kuntas.  We 
too,  I  told  him,  had  to  contend  against  those  who  pro- 
pagated the  doctrines  declared  by  Hamet  Beckay  to  be 
false  and  contrary  to  the  true  morality  of  Islam,  and  we 
had  succeeded  in  what  that  great  man  wished  to  accomplish, 
for  we  had  driven  back  the  invading  Toucouleurs. 

If,  I  urged,  we  whites,  who  had  considerable  forces  at  our 


io6  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

disposal,  made  a  firm  alliance  with  the  Kuntas,  who  would 
in  their  turn  place  at  our  service  all  their  religious 
influence,  their  ancient  power  would  be  restored,  they  would 
be  our  trustworthy  agents,  working  loyally  for  the 
pacification  of  the  country,  which  would  owe  to  them  all 
the  benefits  of  peace,  for  which  they  would  never  cease  to 
be  grateful. 

On  the  other  hand,  I  pointed  out,  that  if  we  made  an 
alliance  with  the  Awellimidens,  whose  lands  we  did  not  in 
the  least  covet,  all  the  small  pilfering  tribes,  such  as  the 
Igwadaren  and  the  Kel  Temulai,  would  be  compelled  to 
cease  their  depredations,  because  all  the  merchants  on  the 
river  would  be  under  the  protection  of  the  French,  or  of 
their  new  friends.  Placed  as  they  would  necessarily  be 
between  us  and  the  Awellimiden,  they  could  not  without 
risk  of  destruction,  or  at  least  of  severe  reprisals,  insult 
either  of  the  two  contracting  parties. 

Abiddin  seemed  much  taken  by  my  arguments, 
which  appealed  forcibly  to  his  sympathies  and  intelligence. 
He  was  a  decidedly  clever  fellow,  and  I  struck  whilst  the 
iron  was  hot,  by  adding  that  it  seemed  to  me  that  this 
proposal,  if  made  to  the  Kunta  chief,  would  solve  the 
problem  of  the  pacification,  and  add  immensely  to  the  value 
of  the  districts  surrounding  Timbuktu. 

We  should  very  soon  relieve  those  under  our  pro- 
tection from  all  fear  of  molestation  by  the  Tuaregs,  we 
should  promote  the  creation  of  centres  of  commerce  and 
outlets  for  trade,  and  moreover,  we  should  greatly  reduce 
our  expenses  at  Timbuktu,  for  our  gains  would  help 
us  to  pay  and  support  the  troops  quartered  in  that 
town. 

"  It  is  evident,"  answered  Abiddin,  "  that  if  you  could  come 
to  terms  with  Madidu,  and  be  really  friends  with  him,  it 
would  be  a  very  good  thing  for  us  all.      We  shall,  however. 


FROM    TIMBUKTU   TO   TOSAYE  107 

want  somebody  to  act  as  go-between,  but  the  question  is, 
whom  could  we  choose." 

"  Houa  !  "  (thou),  said  Father  Hacquart,  suddenly  striking 
into  the  conversation.  Abiddin  started  ;  the  idea  that  he 
might  go  himself  had  evidently  not  occurred  to  him. 
The  father  now  put  out  all  his  eloquence  to  persuade  him, 
and  finally  won  his  consent. 

Abiddin  spent  the  whole  of  the  next  day  with  us,  and 
asked  the  doctor  to  give  him  some  medical  advice,  for  he 
suffered  greatly  from  rheumatism  and  cystitis.  I  arranged 
with  him  that  we  should  go  to  Rhergo,  and  there  wait  for 
news  from  him.  If  he  should  send  us  word  to  go  on  we 
should  know  that  he  had  already  passed  us,  and  was  en 
route  for  Madidu's  camp. 

On  the  29th,  despairing  of  seeing  Aluatta,  who  was 
still  negotiating  with  the  Kel  Gossi,  we  decided  to  leave 
Kagha,  but  we  had  scarcely  left  our  moorings  when  we 
were  met  by  such  a  violent  wind  that  it  was  absolutely 
impossible  to  proceed,  and  we  went  to  take  refuge  in  an 
opening  on  the  left  bank.  It  was  not  until  after  a  delay 
of  two  hours  that  we  were  at  last  able  to  go  on  and  anchor 
opposite  Milali.  We  were  asleep,  when  our  watch  aroused 
us  with  the  news  that  a  canoe  was  approaching,  the  man  in 
which  was  shouting  out  something  at  the  top  of  his  voice. 
It  turned  out  to  be  a  courier  from  Aluatta,  who  had  at  last 
received  our  despatch,  and  would  come  the  next  day 
to  Kagha,  where  he  begged  us  if  possible  to  return. 

Only  too  glad  to  hear  from  him  at  last,  we  went  back 
the  next  day,  and  about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
Aluatta  came  to  see  us  with  his  retinue  of  followers.  He 
was  a  handsome  young  fellow,  with  a  very  dark  skin  and 
a  most  intelligent  face,  a  gentle  but  rather  proud  ex- 
pression. He  is  supposed  to  have  the  gift  of  prophecy, 
and    to  be   able   to  perform   miracles.     It  is  said  that  he 


io8  THE    EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

predicted  the  death  of  Tidiani,  a  former  chief  of  the  Massina, 
a  year  before  it  took  place. 

Everything  having  already  been  settled  with  Abiddin, 
Aluatta  had  only  to  ratify  our  agreement  with  his  brother, 
and  this  he  did  readily.  Of  course  we  showed  off  our 
phonograph  and  bicycle  to  our  visitor,  and  a  telescope 
greatly  aroused  his  admiration,  because  he  was  able  to  see 


liNTERVIEW   WITH   ALUATTA. 


and  recognize  the  people  of  Kagha  through  it.  We  spent 
the  whole  January  30  with  Aluatta,  and  then,  this  time  in 
earnest,  we  resumed  our  voyage. 

We  were  dreadfully  hindered  by  a  strong  contrary  wind 
from  the  east,  and  it  was  not  until  February  3  that  we 
arrived  at  Kunta,  where  we  were  to  see  the  Kel  Temulai. 

At  our  approach  the  negroes  of  the  village  (the  Tuaregs 
have  their  encampment  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river 
some  little  distance  inland)  at  once  begun  carefully  to 
sweep  the  bank  where  we  should  disembark,  and  very  soon 


FROM   TIMBUKTU    TO    TOSAYE 


109 


our  tent  was  up,  our  camp-stools  were  beneath  its  shelter, 
and  our  visitors  the  Kel  Temulai  arrived,  including  R'alif, 
the  brother  of  R'abbas,  chief  of  the  tribe,  with  the  two  sons 
of  the  latter  and  a  small  retinue. 

The  palaver  was  carried  on  under  difficulties  for  want  of 


A   LITTLE   SLAVE   GIRL  OF  RHERGO. 


some  one  understanding  the  Ta-Masheg  or  the  Tuareg 
language,  and  we  had  to  converse  in  Songhay,  our  servant 
Mame  acting  as  interpreter.  This  was  the  first  time  we 
had  seen  the  Tuaregs  in  their  own  land,  and  we  were  all 
deeply  interested  in  them.  They  are  many  of  them  very 
finely  built  fellows,  and  their  features,  all  you  can  see  of 
them,  for  the  lower  part  of  their  faces  is  always  obstinately 


no      THE  EXPLORATION  OF  THE  NIGER 

hidden  by  the  tagelinust  or  veil,  are  of  a  purer  Kel  Temulai 
type  than  I  have  ever  seen  elsewhere.  They  all  wear 
breeches  coming  down  to  the  instep,  and  mantles,  or  as 
they  call  them  tubus,  of  dark  blue  material.  The  more 
important  members  of  the  tribe  have  a  kind  of  pocket  of 
red  flannel  on  their  breasts.    In  the  right  hand  they  hold  an 


TUAREGS   AND   SIIERIiFS   AT   KHEKGO. 


iron  spear  some  six  feet  long,  and  on  the  left  arm  a  dagger 
is  kept  in  place  by  a  bracelet  without  causing  its  owner 
the  slightest  inconvenience,  so  that  it  is  always  within  easy 
reach  of  the  hand,  and  can  be  used  at  a  moment's  notice. 
Lastly,  a  few  of  them  also  have  a  straight  sword  with  a  cross 
for  a  hilt,  reminding  us  of  those  in  use  in  the  Middle  Ages, 
and  which  is  hung  on  the  left  side  by  a  rope. 

The  palaver  ended  amicably  enough,  and  presently  other 
Tuaregs  crossed  the  creek  in  canoes  to  swell  the  numbers 
of  our  visitors.     We  now  made  acquaintance  with  one  of 


FROM  TIMBUKTU  TO  TOSAYE         in 

their  most  characteristic  and  at  the  same  time  detestable 
peculiarities,  namely,  their  incorrigible  love  of  begging.  I 
know  well  enough  that  the  poor  fellows  have  nothing  to 
depend  on  but  their  flocks  and  the  produce  of  their  fields, 
which  are  cultivated  for  them  by  the  negroes,  who  are  paid 
by  a  certain  royalty  on  the  results.    Our  arrival,  laden  with 


OUR    PALAVER   AT  RHERGO. 


fine  stuffs,  wonderful  glass  beads,  and  all  manner  of  gew- 
gaws, must  of  course  be  turned  to  account  as  much  as 
possible.  Naturally  they  exaggerated  our  resources,  and 
the  word  ikfai  (give  me)  became  a  refrain  dinned  into  our 
ears  every  day  for  months.  I  must  add,  however,  that  no 
Tuareg  ever  in  my  hearing  enforced  his  begging  by  a 
threat.  I  gave  often  and  I  gave  much,  for  my  firm  belief 
is,  that  the  one  way  for  a  traveller  to  succeed  is  to  conciliate 
the  natives  and  win  the  sympathy  of  the  people  through 
whose  country  he  is  passing.    It  is  best  for  his  own  interests, 


112  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE    NIGER 

and  also  for  those  of  future  explorers,  to  be  generous 
whenever  it  is  possible,  but  he  should  never  give  against 
his  will,  or  give  anything  but  just  what  he  himself 
chooses. 

I  often  yielded  to  respectful  and  courteous  importunity, 
but  would  never  have  done  so  in  compliance  with  a  demand, 
which  would  have  made  a  free  gift  appear  like  a  compulsory 
tribute. 

Amongst  our  new  friends  was  the  son  of  Madunia,  the 
centenarian  chief  to  whom  I  have  already  alluded.  He 
was  only  about  twelve  years  old,  an  incidental  proof  of  the 
vigorous  constitution  of  the  Tuaregs,  or  perhaps  rather  of 
the  truth  of  the  reply  of  a  celebrated  doctor  to  an  inquirer — 
"  Men  sometimes  have  children  at  fifty,  at  sixty  never,  but 
at  eighty  always." 

My  little  friend  had  a  very  pretty  face  but  a  very  bad 
temper.  I  made  him  very  angry  by  putting  a  five  franc 
piece  in  a  calabash  full  of  water,  which  I  defied  him  to  pick 
out.  He  looked  at  me  with  a  cunning' expression  and  put 
out  his  hand,  but  directly  he  touched  the  water  he  gave  a 
scream  and  fell  backwards,  holding  his  arm  as  if  in  pain. 
The  fact  was,  I  had  put  a  bit  of  Ruhmkorff  wire,  of  which  I 
had  a  coil  hidden  in  my  tent,  in  the  bowl.  The  poor  boy 
was  furious,  and  when  the  people  standing  about  laughed 
at  him,  he  wept  with  rage.  I  consoled  him  with  a  present, 
and  in  the  end  we  parted  the  best  of  friends. 

The  next  day  before  we  started  some  more  Tuaregs 
came  to  see  us,  and  I  must  add  to  beg  a  little  present. 
Two  of  them,  with  a  confidence  in  us  which  quite  touched 
us,  went  with  us  on  the  Davoust,  and  remained  on  board  till 
twelve  o'clock,  proving  how  completely  reassured  they  were 
as  to  our  intentions.  One  was  the  son  of  R'abbas,  the 
other  his  brother  R'alif  The  former  was  only  about  ten 
years  old,  and  did  not  as  yet  wear  the  veil.     Both  were 


114  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

very  fine  specimens  of  the  physical  beauty  which,  as  I  have 
already  said,  characterizes  the  Kel  Temulai  race. 

On  the  6th,  still  much  bothered  by  the  contrary  wind, 
we  reached  Rhergo,  a  very  large  village,  more  ancient  even, 
it  is  said,  than  Timbuktu,  which  rose  in  importance  at  the 
expense  of  its  older  rival.  Recently,  however,  through  the 
culpable  policy  which  left  the  districts  surrounding  the 
French  settlement  unprotected,  Rhergo  has  regained  some 
of  the  trade  of  Timbuktu.  A  razzi  or  raid  of  Hoggars, 
the  Tuaregs  from  the  south  who  murdered  Flatters,  cut 
short  the  growing  prosperity  of  the  capital  by  almost  com- 
pletely ruining  it.  I  was  surprised  to  hear  about  the 
Hoggars  so  far  from  their  usual  haunts,  but  what  I  have  just 
said  is  true  enough,  as  will  presently  be  proved. 

We  made  all  our  arrangements  for  spending  a  few  days 
at  Rhergo,  so  as  to  give  Abiddin  time  to  communicate 
with  us. 

The  next  day  the  natives  decided  to  open  relations  with  us, 
and  a  deputation  came  to  interview  us  the  first  thing  in  the 
morning.  We  saw  them  filing  along  the  path  leading  from 
the  village,  which  was  almost  three  quarters  of  a  mile  off. 
Before  actually  entering  our  camp  they  halted,  and  each 
one  of  them  made  us  a  solemn  salaam.  Protestations  of 
friendship,  offers  of  services,  expressions  of  devotion  followed. 
Finally  a  paper  was  handed  to  us  with  very  great  ceremony, 
which  turned  out  to  be  a  protectorate  treaty  which  had 
been  concluded  with  Timbuktu. 

There  exists  a  perfect  mania  in  Africa  for  so-called 
treaties,  a  mania  which  would  be  harmless  enough  if  it  did 
not  give  an  altogether  false  idea  of  colonial  questions  to 
French  people,  who  are  ignorant  of  the  true  conditions  of 
the  countries  to  which  they  refer. 

These  treaties,  in  fact,  very  often  prove  bones  of  conten- 
tion and  litigation  between  different  European  powers,  and 


FROM    TIMBUKTU   TO   TOSAYE 


115 


thus  attain  an  importance  which  but  for  this  would  be 
altogether  wanting.  In  the  partition  of  Africa  European 
governments  began  by  imagining  a  kind  of  rule  of  the  game, 
which  consisted  in  giving  to  so-called  treaties  with  native 
chiefs  a  certain  fictitious  value.  We  fell  in  with  this  idea, 
and  it  would  be  difficult  now  to  go  back  to  the  old  belief, 
that  in  a  game  of  chance  the  ace  is  more  powerful  than  the 


TRADERS  AT  RHERGO. 


king.  To  follow  the  fashion  therefore  when  we  appear 
on  the  boards  before  international  conferences,  we  have  to 
be  provided  with  plenty  of  trumps,  and  to  produce  treaties 
with  people,  shady  folk  enough  sometimes,  whom  we  dub 
for  the  nonce  kings  or  princes.  Our  treaties  are  as  valid 
as  those  made  by  Germans,  Spaniards,  or  Italians,  and  all 
of  them  added  together,  if  truth  and  good  faith  were  con- 
sidered, would  amount  simply  to  zero,  as  I  shall  presently 
have  occasion  to  prove. 


ii6 


THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 


But  when  there  is  no  special  reason  for  pretending  to  the 
contrary,  what  is  the  good  of  having  such  endless  diplomatic 
rigmaroles  and  such  long-winded  treaties,  of  which  one  of 
the  contracting  parties  does  not  understand  a  single  solitary- 
sentence  ? 

Imagine  then  my  astonishment  at  seeing  on  the  com- 
mercial treaty  between  Rhergo  and  Timbuktu,  that  the 


SO-CALLED   SHERIFFS  OF  RHERGO. 


former  place  was  bound  to  pay  an  annual  tribute  to  the 
French !  Now  if  any  one  is  in  authority  at  Rhergo  it  is 
Sakhaui,  chief  of  the  Igwadaren,  and  not  the  French, — I 
speak  now  of  course  of  when  we  were  passing  through  on  our 
voyage  down  the  Niger, — so  that  this  promised  tribute, 
which  was  never  paid,  never  even  demanded,  was  certainly 
not  calculated  to  add  to  French  prestige  in  these  parts. 

The  people  of  Rhergo,  who  were  worse  than  cunning, 
pleased  us  but  little.     They  called  themselves  sheriffs,  or 


FROM   TIMBUKTU    TO    TOSAYE 


17 


descendants  of  Mahomet,  but  I  think  they  would  find  it 
difficult  to  prove  their  parentage,  for  they  have  neither  the 
beauty  of  feature  nor  the  paleness  of  complexion  character- 
istic of  true  Arabs. 

In  the  evening  Sidi  Hamet  returned  to  us  from  his  visit 
to  the  Igwadaren.  He  had  been  pretty  well  received  by 
them,  but  when  he  told  them  of  our  imminent  approach 


THE  '  DAVOUST  '  AT  ANCHOR  OFF  RHERGO. 


they  took  fright,  and  thinking  that  our  party  was  a  large  and 
formidable  one,  they  wanted  to  leave  the  banks  of  the  river 
and  take  refuge  in  the  interior. 

Their  women,  however,  cried  shame  on  them,  reproaching 
them  for  losing  such  a  chance  of  presents  ;  and  to  cut  short 
all  further  discussion,  they  threatened  that  any  man  who 
was  coward  enough  to  flee  from  an  imaginary  danger 
would  have  to  go  without  his  wife. 

The  prospect  of  having  their  wives  imitate  the  strike  of 


ii8  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

the  women  of  Mycenae,  as  described  by  Aristophanes,  put  a 
stop  to  the  desire  of  the  husbands  to  decamp,  and  Sidi 
Hamet  wound  up  by  telling  me  that  all  was  now  arranged 
for  our  friendly  reception.  Amongst  the  Igwadaren  he  had 
seen  Mohamed  Uld  Mbirikat,  the  cousin  of  my  friend  Bechir, 
to  whom  I  had  a  letter,  and  he  brought  back  with  him  a 
rifle  which  had  been  taken  from  Colonel  Bonnier,  and  had 
remained  for  some  time  in  the  possession  of  the  chief  of  the 
Eastern  Kel  Antassar.  On  hearing  of  our  arrival  the  chief, 
not  liking  to  keep  anything  so  compromising,  had  hastened 
to  give  the  rifle  to  Mohamed. 

The  fact  is,  if  we  could  only  have  gone  immediately  to 
Sakhaui  we  should  no  doubt  have  been  well  received  ;  but 
unfortunately  we  had  promised  Abiddin  to  wait  for  him  at 
Rhergo,  and  during  the  delay  our  enemies,  especially  the 
marabouts,  had  plenty  of  time  to  poison  the  minds  of  the 
natives  against  us. 

On  the  8th  Taburet  and  Father  Hacquart  went  to  the 
village,  where  they  met  with  a  merchant  of  Timbuktu  whose 
goods  had  been  stolen  by  an  Igwadaren  named  Ibnu,  a 
relation  of  Sakhaui,  who  had  probably  been  sent  to  Rhergo 
to  spy  on  us.  The  merchant  wanted  to  complain  to  us,  but 
the  chief  of  the  village  told  him  that  if  he  did  he  would  cut 
his  throat  when  we  were  gone. 

This  chief  being  very  infirm,  I  sent  for  his  son  and  read 
him  a  good  lecture.  I  also  sent  for  Ibnu,  who  came  at 
once,  and  protested  his  repentance  for  what  he  had  done. 
I  pretended  to  accept  his  excuses,  and  presently  he  reap- 
peared dragging  two  goats  behind  him,  which  he  offered  to 
me.  I  accepted  them,  earnestly  hoping  that  he  had  stolen 
them  from  the  sheriffs  of  the  village,  who  pleased  me  less 
and  less.  Then  I  in  my  turn  gave  him  some  presents, 
notably  a  garment  for  his  wife. 

The  next  day  we  had  a  visit  from  Alif,  the  brother  of 


FROM   TIMBUKTU   TO   TOSAYE 


119 


Sakhaui,  who  offered  us  a  fine  bull.  We  killed  it  with 
a  shot  from  a  Lebel  rifle,  which  alarmed  the  Tuaregs 
not  a  little.  The  next  day,  the  9th,  back  comes  Ibnu  with 
another  goat,  this  time  for  sale.  But  the  chief  object  of 
his  visit  is  to  ask  for  another  length  of  stuff  for  the  dress  I 
had  sent  to  his  wife,  who  he  explained  was  as  big  round  as 
our  tent,  and  the  material  I  had  given  him  would  only 


POLITICAL  ANXIETIES. 


dress  one-half  of  her.  From  the  Tuareg  point  of  view  she 
must  have  been  a  splendid  woman,  for  amongst  this  tribe 
weight  counts  as  beauty.  The  desired  corpulence  is 
obtained  by  eating  quantities  of  a  mixture  of  which 
curdled  milk  is  the  chief  ingredient,  in  fact,  they  fatten 
themselves  up  much  as  the  French  do  the  geese  which  are 
to  produce  pate  de  foie  gras. 

Clouds  were  now  beginning  to  gather  on  our  political 
horizon.     Our   prolonged   sojourn   at   Rhergo,   where    we 


I20  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

waited  in  vain  for  letters  from  Abiddin,  must  have  seemed 
very  strange  to  the  Tuaregs,  who  can  have  had  no  inkling 
of  the  reason.  Moreover,  a  courier  had  come  down  in  a 
canoe  from  Timbuktu  to  see  us,  and  though  I  sent  him 
away  immediately,  I  felt  sure  that  he  had  been  seen. 
Putting  myself  in  the  place  of  Sakhaui,  and  knowing 
the  distrustful  nature  of  the  Tauregs,  I  was  convinced  that 
in  his  mind  we  were  the  advance  guard  of  a  more 
numerous  party  who  were  to  come  from  Timbuktu,  and  of 
whom  he  stood  in  dread.  The  arrival  of  the  courier  would 
be  enough  to  confirm  his  suspicions.  It  was  very  evident 
that  we  ought  to  start  at  once,  if  indeed  there  was  still 
time  for  us  to  open  really  cordial  relations  with  the 
Igwadaren.  Between  two  aims  of  an  importance  so  unequal 
I  thought  it  would  be  wise  to  make  a  final  choice.  Now 
to  us  French  the  Igwadaren  were  really  not  worth  much, 
and  besides,  had  not  they  also  a  protectorate  treaty  with 
Timbuktu  ?  whilst,  as  I  have  said  before,  the  good-will  of 
the  Awellimiden  would  be  of  vital  value  to  us,  and  I 
would  not,  if  I  could  possibly  avoid  it,  lose  the  advan- 
tages which  Abiddin's  visit  to  them  might  win  for  our 
expedition. 

On  the  evening  of  the  loth,  however,  all  my  fine 
plans  were  completely  upset.  Sidi  Hamet,  who  had  been 
to  the  village,  came  back  with  a  letter  for  me,  which  had 
been  brought  by  a  Tuareg  and  given  to  a  slave  belonging  to 
one  of  the  sheriffs.  Strange  postal  arrangements  indeed  ! 
Taken  in  connection  with  the  news  brought  to  us  by  Sidi 
Hamet,  the  letter  was  perfectly  incomprehensible.  In  it 
Sakhaui  begs  me  to  return  to  Timbuktu,  where  he  says  I 
shall  find  all  that  I  could  hope  to  meet  with  further  away  ; 
indeed,  he  pledges  himself  to  secure  my  success.  At  the 
same  time,  if  we  choose  to  go  on  he  will  watch  over  us,  but 
towards  the  end  his  letter  becomes  almost  threatening,  for 


FROM    TIMBUKTU    TO   TOSAYE  121 

he  says,  "  Take  care,  above  all  things  beware  of  doing  any 
harm  to  any  of  my  people  ! " 

The  next  day  Sidi  Hamet  started  with  a  letter,  and  he 
returned  at  midnight  not  alone,  but  accompanied  by  a  big 
Igwadaren  of  manly  bearing  and  intelligent  countenance, 
who  answered  to  the  name  of  R'alli. 

The  letter  from  Sakhuai,  he  now  explained  to  me,  had 
been  written  for  him,  as,  like  all  Tuaregs,  he  did  not  know 
how  to  write  himself,  by  a  marabout  named  Kel  es  Suk,  and 
his  meaning  had  been  completely  distorted.  Sakhaui  was 
perfectly  well-disposed  towards  us,  he  was  impatiently 
awaiting  us,  etc.,  etc. 

Of  course  I  only  half  believed  what  our  friend  R'alli 
said.  Moreover,  he  added  that  the  marabouts,  especially 
one  who  was  at  Kabara  before  we  arrived,  were  trying  to 
get  up  an  agitation  against  us.  We  had  now  been  waiting 
in  vain  for  more  than  a  week  for  news  of  Abiddin,  and 
I  began  to  think  we  should  never  hear  from  him,  so  I 
decided  to  go  to  Sakhaui,  who,  as  already  stated,  was 
then  chief  of  the  Igwadaren. 

On  the  14th  we  anchored  close  to  a  little  tongue  of 
land  which  separates  a  lagoon,  forming  an  admirable  port, 
from  the  river.  We  were  told  that  the  camp  of  Sakhaui 
was  behind  the  dunes  which  we  could  see  from  our 
anchorage. 

In  the  evening  we  were  hailed  from  a  canoe  by  an  Arab 
of  stunted  growth,  with  masses  of  long  matted  hair  and 
bright,  intelligent  eyes.  He  turned  out  to  be  the  chief 
attendant  of  Mohamed  Uld  Mbirikat.  His  name  was 
Tahar,  and  he  had  been  a  follower  of  the  great  Beckay, 
the  friend  of  Barth. 

He  brought  us  bad  news.  Mohamed  was  ill  with  fever, 
but,  he  added,  for  all  that  he  would  probably  join  us  the 
next  day. 


122  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

The  next  morning  we  went  round  the  peninsula,  entered 
the  Httle  lake  called  Zarhoi,  and  cast  anchor  opposite  the 
spot  we  had  just  left.  Faithful  to  his  promise,  Mohamed 
caught  us  up  on  our  way  there. 

About  ten  o'clock  the  beach,  which  had  been  deserted 
on  our  arrival,  became  full  of  life  and  animation,  for  envoys 
arrived  from  Sakhaui,  his  brother,  a  dirty  fellow,  more 
ragged  than  any  Tuareg  I  had  yet  seen,  leading  the  way, 
with  the  chief  of  the  Kel  Owi,  a  tribe  belonging  to  the 
little  confederation  which  has  taken  the  general  name  of 
the  Igwadaren. 

The  palaver  began  at  once  :  Sakhaui  is  ill,  besides,  there 
is  no  need  for  him  to  come  himself,  as  his  messengers  are 
authorized  to  speak  for  him. 

In  fact,  the  reception  was  not  exactly  what  Sidi  Hamet 
and  R'alli  had  led  us  to  hope.  However,  Mohamed  con- 
firmed what  our  messenger  had  said,  telling  us  that 
Sakhaui  had  sent  for  him  a  few  days  before  to  ask  his 
advice,  and  he  having  assured  the  chief  that  he  would  run 
no  danger  by  doing  so,  the  great  man  had  said  he  would 
receive  us  in  person. 

It  was  evident  that  since  then  the  marabouts  had  accom- 
plished their  purpose,  describing  us  as  traitors,  perhaps 
even  magicians  armed  with  terrible  powers.  In  fact, 
according  to  their  usual  custom,  they  had  done  all  they 
could  to  prevent  Europeans  from  entering  into  con- 
fidential relations  with  the  Tuaregs,  for  of  course  such 
relations  would  be  fatal  to  their  influence. 

Sakhaui's  absence  put  me  out  dreadfully.  Not  that  I 
was  particularly  anxious  to  see  him,  for  I  had  no  proposals 
to  make  to  him,  he  being  under  the  direct  control  of  the 
authorities  at  Timbuktu ;  but  I  feared,  and  that  with  very 
good  reason,  that  if  he,  the  first  chief  we  passed  on  our 
way  down  the  river,  would  not  see  us,  his  example  would 


FROM   TIMBUKTU    TO    TOSAYE  123 

be   followed   by  all    the  other  Tuareg  leaders.     It  turned 
out  just  as  I  expected. 

Mohamed  went  to  Sakhaui's  camp  to  try  and  persuade 
him  to  come  to  us,  but  it  was  all  in  vain.  To  make  up 
for  his  absence,  however,  our  friends  of  the  morning  came 
with  others  to  beg  for  presents,  and  I  treated  them  liberally, 
for  this  was  my  last  trump  card,  and  by  playing  it  I  hoped 
to  induce  their  chief  to  see  me. 

We  had  other  things  to  worry  us.  To  begin  with,  the 
Aube  leaked  terribly.  We  had  to  take  everything  out  of 
the  hold,  and  we  tried  to  stop  up  the  fissures  in  her  bottom, 
through  which  the  water  poured,  with  lumps  of  putty,  but 
it  was  not  much  good,  and  throughout  the  whole  of  the 
rest  of  the  voyage  we  were  haunted  with  the  fear  of  losing 
one  of  our  vessels,  or  at  least  of  having  to  leave  her  behind 
us. 

Then  one  of  my  coolies,  Semba-Sumare,  was  very  ill  with 
pneumonia,  and  Dr.  Taburet  was  afraid  he  would  die.  He 
was  delirious,  but  fortunately  quiet- enough.  Still  he  re- 
quired careful  watching,  lest  in  an  access  of  fever  he  should 
be  guilty  of  some  mad  freak. 

We  remained  where  we  were  for  the  whole  of  the  i6th, 
and  our  friend  R'alli  came  on  board  to  tell  us,  in  his 
comically  eloquent  way,  that  Sakhaui  really  would  come 
to  see  us.  He  was  very  uneasy  about  us,  pulled  this  way 
and  that,  many  of  his  advisers  urging  him  not  to  visit  us, 
but  he,  R'alli,  would  make  him  do  so ! 

There  might  have  been  something  in  what  R'alli  said, 
and  although  I  did  not  much  believe  in  his  influence  over 
the  chief,  I  gave  him  a  nice  present.  It  never  does  to  be 
niggardly  with  these  natives,  one  must  advertise  oneself 
well  by  generous  gifts. 

In  the  evening  the  number  of  visitors  increased  yet  more, 
and  we  saw  a  good  many  people  who  were  interesting  to 


124 


THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 


us,  because  they  or  their  relations  had  been  mentioned 
by  Dr.  Barth,  including  the  son  of  El  Waghdu,  who  had 
been  the  German  traveller's  faithful  friend  on  his  journey, 
and  Kongu,  a  little  Tuareg  who  had  been  very  fond  of 
him,  and  who,  in  spite  of  certain  sad  presentiments  he 
had  had  of  a  terrible  fate,  had  survived  until  now,  so  many 
years  after  the  death  of  the  Doctor   himself     Every  one 


SAKHAUrS   ENVOYS. 


still  talked  of  that  doctor  under  the  name  of  Abdul  Kerim, 
every  one  still  remembered  him,  and  once  more  I  must 
bear  witness,  as  I  shall  have  to  do  yet  again  and  again,  to 
the  wonderful  impression  left  behind  him  by  the  genial 
German. 

Whilst  we  were  chatting  with  our  visitors  some  envoys 
from  Sakhaui  arrived,  bringing  back  the  presents  I  had 
given  to  R'alli  in  the  morning.  "  He  is  a  low  impostor," 
the  chief  had  told  his  messengers  to  tell  me ;  "I  am  ashamed 


FROM    TIMBUKTU    TO    TOSAYE  125 

of  his  behaviour,  for  he  never  ceases  to  talk,  without  rhyme 
or  reason,  and  he  promised  to  give  us  a  cow  as  a  present 
when  every  one  knows  he  has  not  got  one." 

R'alli  sent  to  ask  if  I  would  see  him  again,  and  when 
I  replied  that  I  would,  he  came  and  held  forth  for  a  long 
time.  He  began  by  declaring  that  he  wished  he  were 
dead.  He  wanted  to  return  the  presents,  extraordinary 
desire  indeed  in  a  Tuareg.  As  he  went  on  the  people 
standing  by  began  to  make  hostile  demonstrations,  daggers 
were  half  drawn  from  their  sheaths,  and  for  a  moment  I 
feared  that  the  whole  thing  was  a  farce  got  up  with  a  view 
to  pillaging  us  in  the  confusion  of  a  pretended  tumult. 
But  I  was  wrong,  and  the  weapons  were  sheathed  again 
without  having  drawn  any  blood.  The  other  Igwadaren 
were  really  jealous  of  R'alli,  because  they  thought  he  had 
been  better  treated  than  themselves,  and  they  were  also  per- 
haps indignant  with  him  for  the  friendly  feeling  he  had  mani- 
fested for  us.  If  R'alli  really  was  a  humbug,  as  I  always 
fancied  he  was,  yet  he  had  been  the  first  to  approach  us 
without  any  of  that  stupid  suspicious  defiance  which  so  long 
prevented  us  from  living  on  really  good  terms  with  the 
Tuaregs.  All  this  I  explained  to  the  assembled  crowds 
as  best  I  could,  winding  up  with,  "  If  R'alli  really  is  so 
little  worthy  of  confidence,  wasn't  it  too  bad  of  Sakhaui 
to  send  him  to  us  at  Rhergo  as  his  accredited  messenger?" 

Moreover,  I  declared  that  I  meant  to  do  as  I  choose  with 
my  own  property,  even  if  I  gave  it  to  a  slave  or  a  dog,  so 
I  ordered  R'alli  to  take  back  his  presents,  which  he  was 
evidently  glad  enough  to  do,  and  all  ended  peaceably. 

We  also  had  a  visit  from  Achur,  the  brother  of  Sakhaui, 
chief  of  the  so-called  imrads  or  serfs,  and  the  son  of  the 
chief  of  the  Eastern  Kel  Antassar,  who,  though  he  had 
not  joined  his  relation  N'Guna  in  his  struggle  against  the 
French,  had  nevertheless  withdrawn  on  our  approach. 


126  THE    EXPLORATION    OF   THE    NIGER 

I  had  now  lost  all  hope  of  seeing  Sakhaui.  Was  he 
afraid  of  compromising  himself  with  his  people?  I 
wondered.  Had  the  marabouts  incited  him  against  us 
by  rousing  his  fears  of  some  hostile  intentions  on  our  part  ? 
The  best  plan,  I  thought,  would  be  to  give  up  urging  him 
to  visit  us,  and  to  go  to  his  brother  and  enemy  Sakhib, 
whose  camp  was  opposite  to  his  on  the  other  side  of 
the  river. 

Our  passage  through  the  country,  if  it  did  not  do  much 
good,  could  not  do  much  harm  either.  So  near  to  Tim- 
buktu, with  people  all  virtually  under  French  protection, 
I  should  not  venture  to  engage  in  any  diplomatic  or  military 
enterprise  on  my  own  account,  for  of  course  to  do  so  would 
be  to  encroach  on  the  province  of  the  supreme  authority 
in  the  French  Sudan.  Is  it  too  much  to  hope  that  our 
gentleness  and  our  patience  will  make  it  easier  later 
to  establish  really  satisfactory  relations  with  the  Tuaregs  ? 
We  shall  have  shown  by  our  conduct  that  we  are  not  the 
ferocious  beasts  our  enemies  chose  to  represent  us  to  be. 
Moreover,  some  of  the  Tuaregs,  no  matter  how  few,  will 
be  grateful  for  the  presents  we  have  given  them,  and  as 
those  presents  really  were  very  handsome  ones,  I  hope 
that  the  fame  of  our  generosity  will  precede  us,  and  incite 
the  tribes  through  whose  territories  we  have  to  pass  to 
make  friends  with  us. 

To  avoid  having  to  give  any  more  presents  we  got 
under  sail  early  on  the  17th,  but  the  wind  got  up  and 
compelled  us  to  anchor  amongst  the  grass  at  the  entrance 
to  the  Zarhoi  lagoon.  We  were  scarcely  gone  before,  as 
we  had  foreseen,  the  Igwadaren  arrived  in  numbers  at  the 
scene  of  our  recent  encampment,  and  were  greatly  dis- 
comfited at  finding  that  the  goose  which  laid  the  golden 
eggs  had  flown  away.  But  they  soon  spied  us  in  our  new 
anchorage,  and   hurried    to   hail    us,  entreating   us    again 


FROM   TIMBUKTU   TO   TOSAYE 


127 


with  eager  gestures  and  shouts  to  land.  They  wanted  to 
re-open  the  profitable  intercourse  with  us,  but  the  comedy 
was  played  out  now.  At  about  eleven  o'clock  we  were 
able  to  resume  our  voyage  along  the  left  bank,  followed 
for  some  little  distance  by  a  regular  cavalcade,  amongst 
whom  Sidi  Hamet  thought  he  recognized  Sakhaui  himself 
We  now  crossed  the  river,  and  cast  anchor  near  another 


OUR  COOLIES  CAMP  AT  ZARHOI. 


tongue  of  land  a  little  above  Sakhib's  camp  at  Kardieba, 
where  Mohamed  Uld  Mbirikal  was  to  rejoin  us. 

It  soon  became  pretty  evident  that  we  should  see  no 
more  of  Sakhib  than  we  had  of  Sakhaui.  If  he  had 
wished  ever  so  much  to  pay  us  a  visit,  his  dignity  would 
have  compelled  him  to  act  exactly  as  his  brother  had 
done.  His  envoys,  however,  duly  arrived,  charged  with 
friendly  messages,  and  accompanied,  or  rather  preceded, 
by  Mohamed. 


128  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE    NIGER 

By  right  of  birth  Sakhib  is  the  true  chief  of  the  Igwa- 
daren.  His  brother  turned  against  him,  and  seduced  a 
part  of  the  tribe  from  their  allegiance,  on  account  of  a  love 
affair  which  was  related  to  me  as  follows :  a  belle  of  the 
neighbourhood  had  been  the  mistress  of  Sakhaui  when 
still  quite  a  young  girl.  Knowing  nothing  of  this,  Sakhib, 
enamoured  of  her  charms,  married  her  with  an  ingenuous 
haste  by  no  means  peculiar  to  Africa,  and  discovering  too 
late  that  he  had  been  forestalled,  he  repudiated  her.  This 
modern  Helen  then  returned  to  form  a  new  union  with  her 
former  lover  Sakhaui.     hide  irce. 

The  story  may  or  may  not  be  true,  but  my  private 
opinion  is  that  the  real  reason  for  the  enmity  between  the 
brothers  is  to  be  sought  in  the  Igwadaren  character,  which 
is  also  the  cause  of  the  state  of  perpetual  anarchy  in  which 
the  natives  live,  resulting  in  the  absolute  ruin  of  the  Niger 
districts  from  Rhergo  to  Tosaye. 

I  shall  have  more  to  say  later  of  the  peculiarities  of  the 
Tuaregs,  but  I  prefer  to  relate  my  experiences  amongst 
them  before  I  presume  to  pass  judgment  on  them.  I  think 
very  highly  of  them  in  many  respects,  but  for  all  that  I  do 
not  shut  my  eyes  to  their  defects.  In  the  interests  of  truth, 
however,  I  wish  to  remark  here,  that  from  the  very  first  I 
saw  reason  to  draw  a  broad  line  of  demarcation  between 
what  I  may  call  the  large  confederations,  ruled  by  laws 
sanctioned  by  long  tradition,  and  the  small  tribes  alto- 
gether inferior  to  them  in  morality,  which  may  be  said  to 
form  a  kind  of  scum  on  the  borders  of  the  more  important 
societies. 

There  are,  in  fact,  certain  hordes  of  mere  brigands,  who 
obey  no  chief,  and  depend  entirely  for  their  livelihood  on 
robbery  and  pillage,  and  there  is  also  amongst  the  Tuaregs, 
with  whom  we  have  now  especially  to  deal,  one  important 
tribe  which  has  gradually,  partly  from  the  ambition  to  be 


FROM   TIMBUKTU    TO    TOSAYE  129 

independent  and  to  obey  no  laws  but  its  own,  and  partly 
from  contact  with  the  foreigner,  has  lost  all  the  virtues  of 
the  Tuaregs  and  retained  all  their  defects. 

The  tribe  to  which  I  allude  is  that  known  as  the  Igwa- 
daren,  from  which  sprang  the  loraghen,  who  form  so  large 
an  element  in  French  Algeria,  and  for  a  long  time  they 
were  the  allies,  or  rather  were  subject  to  the  Awellimiden. 
Just  at  the  time  of  Earth's  voyage  they  had  tried  to  separ- 
ate from  the  rest  of  their  tribe,  and  relying  upon  the  aid 
of  the  Fulahs,  who  had  invaded  Massina,  to  get  the  upper 
hand.  From  Earth's  narrative  we  know  that  the  great 
desire  of  his  protector  El  Beckay  was  to  prevent  the 
division,  and  his  greatest  grief  the  fact  that  he  failed  to 
do  so. 

The  Awellimiden  repulsed  the  Fulahs,  and  since  then 
the  Igwadaren,  traitors  to  their  fellow-countrymen,  have 
been  looked  upon  by  them  as  enemies  whom  they  were 
justified  in  raiding  whenever  they  got  the  chance,  and  really 
I  cannot  blame  them,  for  it  serves  the  Igwadaren  right. 

When  for  the  second  time  El  Hadj  Omar  and  his 
Toucouleurs  tried  by  force  of  arms  to  restore  the  suprem- 
acy of  an  intolerant  and  barbarous  Islamism,  El  Eeckay,  as 
we  have  already  said,  rose  up  against  him  in  the  cause  of 
tolerance  and  a  more  humane  interpretation  of  the  doc- 
trines of  Mahomet.  The  Awellimiden,  with  the  Iregna- 
ten  of  the  right  bank  of  the  Niger,  were  his  auxiliaries. 
The  great  leader,  as  we  have  seen,  died  before  his  work  was 
done,  but  he  had  broken  the  shock  of  the  storm.  A  last  wave 
of  the  tempest  of  revolt  which  had  arisen  in  the  west 
surged  up  to  the  walls  of  Timbuktu,  which  had  been 
reached  by  an  army  of  Toucouleurs,  but  they  were  sur- 
prised and  massacred  near  Gundam.  Once  more  the 
Tuaregs  were  saved,  and  all  the  prudent  measures  of 
Tidiani,  the  politic  successor  of  El  Hadj,  could  not  advance 


I30  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

the  invasion  by  so  much  as  a  single  step.  It  taxed  to  the 
uttermost  all  the  resources  of  his  astute  and  supple  genius 
to  maintain  the  territory  already  conquered  in  a  state  of 
servitude.  It  was  reserved  to  the  French  to  drive  from  it 
his  cousin  and  successor  Amadu. 

In  all  the  struggles  which  followed,  however,  and  peace 
was  not  restored  for  thirty  years,  the  Igwadaren  always,  if 
it  were  anyhow  possible,  sided  with  the  foreigner  against 
their  fellow-countrymen. 

The  state  of  anarchy  which  began  with  the  chiefs  of 
course  spread  downwards  amongst  the  mere  warriors,  and 
whilst  amongst  the  larger  confederations  of  tribes  there  are 
certain  traditions  checking  the  unrestrained  use  of  brute 
force,  there  is  nothing  of  the  kind  with  the  Igwadaren, 
with  whom  might  is  right.  Sakhaui  and  Sakhib,  brothers 
though  they  were,  came  to  open  blows.  Each  warrior  of 
the  tribe  joined  the  leader  he  preferred,  but  this  very  fact 
reduced  the  power  of  both  to  next  to  nothing.  The  negro 
villages  passed  into  the  possession  first  of  one  side  and 
then  of  the  other,  according  to  the  varying  fortunes  of  war, 
and  the  traders  had  their  goods  stolen  with  no  hope  of 
redress.  The  result  in  the  ruin  of  the  country  was  only 
too  patent  to  every  one's  observation. 

The  arrival  at  Timbuktu  of  the  French  was  a  very  lucky 
thing  for  the  Igwadaren.  As  they  could  no  longer  count 
upon  the  support  of  the  Toucouleurs,  who  were  at  logger- 
heads with  us,  they  might  easily  have  been  reduced  to 
servitude  by  the  Awellimiden,  and  no  doubt  but  for  our 
presence  they  would  in  their  turn  have  become,  as  had  so 
many  others,  mere  imrads  or  serfs. 

Acting  on  the  wise  advice  of  Mohamed,  Sakhaui  sent 
some  messengers  to  Timbuktu.  He  had  signed,  or  was 
supposed  to  have  signed — for  no  Tuareg  can  fead  or  write 
Arabic — all  the  treaties  he  was  asked  to,  and  that  all  the 


FROM   TIMBUKTU   TO   TOSAYE  131 

more  readily  that  he  did  not  understand  a  single  word  of 
their  contents.  Whilst  expressing  all  the  good  feeling 
towards  us  of  which  he  had  just  given  our  party  such  a 
striking  proof,  he  sheltered  himself  under  our  moral 
protection  against  his  powerful  neighbours  on  the  east. 
Having  thus  turned  the  presence  of  the  French  to  the 
best  possible  advantage,  and  that  really  very  cleverly, 
Sakhaui  and  his  people  were  free  to  continue  their  evil 
doings  unchecked,  whilst  Sakhib,  at  war  with  his  brother, 
also  knew  as  well  as  he  did  how  to  play  his  cards  in  the 
diplomatic  game. 

The  one  thing  then  which  the  Igwadaren  dreaded  was, 
that  the  French  should  make  an  alliance  with  the 
Awellimiden,  for  that  would  upset  all  their  plans.  Though 
they  did  not  dare  oppose  our  passage  by  force,  they  painted 
us  in  the  very  blackest  colours  to  their  nearest  neighbours, 
and  we  had  to  thank  them  for  the  bad  reception  we  got 
from  their  relations  the  Tademeket  Kel  Burrum  at  Tosaye, 
and  also  for  the  difficulties  we  had  had  to  contend  with  at 
the  beginning  of  our  negotiations  with  the  Awellimiden. 

I  was  told  that  Sakhib  was  more  just  in  his  dealings  and 
less  of  a  robber  than  his  brother,  with  whom  he  had 
hastened  to  patch  up  a  temporary  truce  when  he  heard  of 
our  approach.  Moreover,  just  then  the  Igwadaren  Aussa 
under  Sakhaui  had  no  intention  of  fighting.  There  was 
a  rumour  that  the  Awellimiden  were  about  to  make  a 
raid  upon  them,  and  from  our  boat  we  could  see  oxen, 
sheep,  and  women  hurrying  to  the  banks  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  river,  in  the  hope  of  finding  a  refuge  on  the  islands 
dotting  its  course.  I  did  not  put  much  faith  in  the  rumour 
myself  If,  however,  it  be  well  founded,  we  shall  no  doubt 
be  able  to  turn  it  to  account. 

The  whole  of  the  19th  was  occupied  in  receiving  visits 
from  all  the  brothers,  cousins,  uncles,  and  big  and  little 


132 


THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 


nephews  of  the  petty  chief.  At  one  time  our  camp  really 
presented  a  most  imposing  and  picturesque  appearance. 
I  had  had  a  cord  stretched  all  round  it,  and  this  cord 
formed  a  kind  of  moral  protection — for  of  course  it  could 
easily  have  been  passed — against  the  curiosity  of  our 
visitors,  whilst  at  the  same  time  it  prevented  our  coolies 


OUR   BICYCLE   SUZANNE   AMONGST  THE   TUAREGS. 


from  mixing  too  freely  and  getting  involved  in  quarrels 
with  them. 

Baudry  mounted  our  bicycle  Suzanne,  and  to  the  intense 
astonishment  of  the  Tuaregs  spun  round  the  flat  ground 
separating  our  camp  from  a  low  line  of  dunes.  The  iron 
horse,  as  she  was  dubbed,  very  soon  became  celebrated  far 
and  near,  and  crowds  came  daily  to  stare  at  her. 

Our  visitors  were  really  many  of  them  very  fine-looking 
fellows  in  their  long  Tuareg  bubus  or  mantles,  with  the 
red   pocket   on   the   breast.     Their   naturally   picturesque 


FROM   TIMBUKTU   TO   TOSAYE  133 

attitudes  lent  them  a  really  regal  appearance,  and  they 
might  very  well  have  passed  for  proud,  highly-born 
nobles,  when,  leaning  on  their  spears,  they  looked  about 
them,  their  great  black  eyes  gleaming  from  the  voluminous 
folds  of  their  veils.  But  when  the  distribution  of  presents 
began  the   glamour  disappeared,  the  haughty  noble  was 


OUR  PALAVER  AT  SAKHIB  S  CAMP. 


gone,  to  be  replaced  by  a  greedy,  rapacious  savage,  until, 
his  big  pocket  as  full  as  it  would  hold,  he  resumed  his 
disdainful  attitude. 

All  this  is  really  very  excusable.  Imagine  the  effect  in 
any  European  country  place,  of  the  arrival  of  a  wealthy 
nabob  distributing  diamonds  and  other  precious  stones 
wherever  he  goes.  I  wager  that  our  own  fellow-countrymen 
would  not  comport  themselves  in  a  more  worthy  way  than 
did  these  Tuaregs,  and  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that 
though  our  presents,  such  as  pipes,  small  knives,  bracelets 


134  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

and  rings,  or  white  and  coloured  stuffs  were  of  little 
intrinsic  value,  the  natives  set  as  much  store  by  them  as  we 
should  by  jewels. 

Numerous  as  was  the  crowd,  however,  Sakhib  was  con- 
spicuous by  his  absence  ;  neither  did  the  women  put  in  an 
appearance,  a  proof  that  the  Tuaregs  were  not  quite  sure 
of  our  good  intentions.  Only  one  of  the  fair  sex  did  we 
see,  and  she  was  a  female  blacksmith,  who  said  she  was  ill, 
and  wanted  the  doctor  to  prescribe  for  her.  Taburet  tried 
in  vain  to  find  out  what  was  the  matter  with  her,  and  my 
private  opinion  is  that  her  illness  was  only  an  excuse, 
that  her  motives  in  visiting  our  camp  were  none  of  the  best, 
and  that  she  would  be  ready  to  accept  our  hospitality 
for  a  night  in  return  for  a  good  fee. 

We,  however,  with  thoroughly  British  bashfulness,  re- 
sisted the  blandishments  of  the  siren,  and  when  darkness  fell 
all  our  visitors,  who  had  been  less  extortionate  in  their 
demands  than  Sakhaui's  people,  decided  to  withdraw. 

Mohamed  Uld  Mbirikat  alone  remained  on  the  beach 
with  us,  and  we  talked  together  till  far  into  the  night.  He 
really  was  a  good  fellow,  and  it  was  no  fault  of  his  that  we 
had  not  succeeded  in  seeing  Sakhib  and  Sakhaui,  for  he 
had  put  forth  all  his  eloquence  on  our  behalf.  His  interests, 
moreover,  are  closely  bound  up  with  those  of  the  Igwadaren, 
amongst  whom  he  lives  without  protection,  buying  grain  of 
them  to  sell  it  again  in  Timbuktu,  so  that  any  help  he  gave 
us  beyond  a  certain  point  would  seriously  compromise  him. 
I  gave  him  a  valuable  present,  and  he  in  his  turn  presented 
me  with  a  stock  of  rice  he  owned  at  the  village  of  Gungi 
on  the  islet  of  Autel  Makhoren,  where  we  should  be  the 
next  day. 

After  a  quiet  night  we  resumed  our  voyage,  but  the 
never-ceasing  enervating  wind  forced  us  to  anchor  soon, 
and  we  were  presently  joined  by  a  canoe  in  which  was  an 


FROM   TIMBUKTU   TO   TOSAYE 


135 


unfortunate  man  in  chains,  a  brother  of  Sakhib,  who  had 
been  out  of  his  mind  for  five  years.  He  is  quiet  enough, 
they  told  me,  when  he  is  rendered  powerless  for  harm  by 
being  bound,  but  directly  he  is  released  he  becomes  furious, 
and  strikes  and  abuses  every  one  about  him.  Taburet  pre- 
scribed for  him  as  best  he  could,  shower-baths  and  strait 
waistcoats  being  out  of  the  question  in  these  parts.     We 


THE  VILLAGE   OF  GUNGL 


passed  the  village  of  Agata,  where  lives  Hameit,  a  sheriff  to 
whom  we  had  a  letter  from  Abiddin,  and  where  we  §aw 
some  fifty  canoes  drawn  up  high  and  dry  on  the  banks. 
In  the  evening  we  halted  near  a  little  village  on  an  islet,  the 
chief  of  which  had  had  his  arm  broken  by  a  blow  from  the 
spear  of  an  Igwadaren,  whom  he  had  refused  to  allow  to 
carry  off  his  store  of  rice.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the 
natives  on  the  right  bank  of  the  river  behave  better  than 
those  on  the  left,  and — which  it  is  rather  difficult  to  under- 


136  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

stand — it  is  the  negroes,  that  is  to  say  the  Songhay,  who, 
though  more  numerous  and  as  well  armed  as  their 
oppressors,  allow  themselves  to  be  ill-treated  in  this  way 
without  making  any  attempt  at  defence.  Their  cowardice 
prevents  me  from  feeling  as  much  sympathy  as  I  otherwise 
should  for  their  miserable  condition. 

We  started  very  early  the  next  morning,  but  our  guide 
got  confused,  and  did  not  know  the  way  to  Gungi.  Some 
men  in  a  canoe,  however,  directed  us,  and  we  had  to  go 
up-stream  again  beyond  Agata,  and  get  into  another  arm 
which  we  had  passed  on  the  left.  We  then,  though  not 
without  some  difficulty,  succeeded  in  reaching  the  village, 
passing  several  artificial  dykes,  beyond  which  stretched 
rice-fields  now  inundated.  Gunga,  a  wretched  little  place, 
is  peopled  by  slaves  taken  in  war  by  the  sheriffs  of  Agata. 
Mohamed's  rice  was  handed  over  to  us,  but  it  was  all  still  in 
the  husk,  and  it  would  take  us  the  whole  of  the  next  day 
to  get  it  shelled. 

During  the  night  a  Kel  es  Suk  arrived,  who,  in  a  very 
important  manner,  informed  me  that  he  had  very  serious 
news  to  communicate.  The  whole  of  the  tribes  of  the 
Sahara,  he  said,  had  combined  against  the  French,  and 
were  advancing  upon  Timbuktu.  Awellimiden,  Hoggars 
and  all  the  rest  of  them  were  up,  and  Madidu  him- 
self was  at  Bamba  at  the  head  of  his  column.  This 
was  really  too  big  an  invention,  and  the  narrator  over- 
reached himself  by  going  so  far.  Without  losing  my 
sang-froid  for  a  moment,  I  thanked  my  informant.  Father 
Hacquart  acting  as  interpreter,  for  my  visitor  spoke  Arabic 
well,  and  begged  him  to  take  my  best  compliments  to 
Madidu.  The  old  rogue  then  turned  to  the  subject  he 
really  had  most  at  heart,  and  tried  to  make  me  give  him  a 
garment  of  some  kind  as  a  present,  but  I  was  too  deep  for 
that,  and  sent  him  off  empty-handed. 


^. 

Jr 

r^ 

L 

: 

^K>1  fi^l 

^ 

P|g  '*.^  ^^H 

•^-^ 

iS^gfl 

^^^^^^^^K 

BHriMg^T    /  « 

138  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

Directly  we  stopped  we  were  inundated  by  visitors,  all 
nearly  as  worrying  as  the  rain,  which  had  been  falling 
without  ceasing  since  the  evening  before.  To  begin  with,  on 
the  morning  of  the  22nd  came  messengers  from  Sakhaui  to 
ask  in  his  name  for  advice.  The  Commandant  of  Timbuktu 
had  sent  him  a  letter  announcing  the  approaching  arrival 
of  Colonel  de  Trentinian,  Governor  of  the  French  Sudan. 
The  Commandant  ordered  Sakhaui  to  go  to  Timbuktu, 
and  he  was  very  much  frightened.  I  did  my  best  to 
reassure  the  messenger,  but  I  am  very  certain  that  Sakhaui 
does  not  mean  to  budge.  The  message  would,  however, 
do  us  no  end  of  harm,  and  from  my  journal  that  day  I 
perceive  that  I  felt  very  indignant  at  the  policy  pursued  by 
our  authorities  in  the  Sudan.  I  find  written  there — "  We 
really  are  an  extraordinary  people,  we  seem  to.  expect  that 
the  Tuaregs  will  come  and  throw  themselves  into  our  arms 
of  their  own  accord,  without  our  having  employed  any 
conciliatory  or  coercive  means  to  induce  them  to  do  so. 
But,  good  Heavens  !  if  they  could  send  us  to  the  Devil,  from 
whom  their  marabouts  tell  them  we  come,  they  would 
gladly  do  it.  And  really  I  don't  blame  them,  for  I  see 
well  enough  what  they  have  to  lose  by  our  presence  in 
their  land,  though  I  don't  quite  see  what  they  are  to  gain. 
Taking  into  account  the  apathy  with  which  commercial 
questions  are  treated,  I  do  not  yet  foresee  the  day  when 
amends  will  be  made  for  the  imposts  now  levied  by  force, 
by  the  granting  of  new  rights  of  way,  and  the  supplying  of 
new  means  of  transport." 

Nor  have  I  seen  reason  since  to  change  my  opinion,  for 
to  talk  of  colonial  questions  in  France  is  to  preach  in  the 
desert.  Nevertheless,  I  am  firmly  convinced  that  then  as 
now  I  wrote  only  the  exact  literal  truth. 

It  was  now  R'alli's  turn  again.  We  had  not  seen  the 
fellow  for  some  time,  but  I  am  willing  to  swear  three  times 


FROM    TIMBUKTU   TO    TOSAYE  139 

by  Allah,  that  since  we  treated  him  as  we  did  at  Zarhoi  he 
had  been  our  most  faithful  and  devoted  adherent.  He 
would  never  let  us  go  anywhere  without  preparing  the  way 
before  us,  so  he  had  gone  on  in  advance  of  our  barges  now,  and 
spread  our  fame  amongst  the  sheriffs  and  other  idiots,  who 
did  not  know  us  as  he  did,  and  who  received  his  reports  by 
beating  the  tabala  or  war-drum  ;  or,  to  speak  with  more 
strict  accuracy,  he  found  the  drum  being  beaten,  and  fearing 


SHERIFF  S  HOUSE   AT  GUNGI. 


that  the  sound  of  that  one  instrument  would  lead  to  the 
beating  of  others,  he  confiscated  it  at  once.  Then  he,  R'alli, 
having  inquired  what  all  the  noise  meant,  the  owner  of  the 
drum  replied  that  he  was  afraid  the  white  men  were  coming 
to  take  away  his  goods,  his  oxen,  his  sheep,  and  so  on. 
"  Then,"  added  R'alli,  with  an  air  of  extreme  amiability,  "  to 
show  him  he  had  nothing  to  fear,  I  took  everything  away 
from  him."  I  began  to  shout  at  him — "  And  that  is  the  way 
you  make  friends  for  us  !  "     "  To  give  everything'back  when 


I40  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

you  have  passed,"  he  went  on  with  a  smile.  If  the  story  he 
told  me  is  true,  and  I  shouldn't  like  to  swear  that  it  was, 
I  wouldn't  mind  taking  my  oath  that  the  poor  sheriff  will 
not  get  all  his  property  back.  However,  the  unabashed 
R'alli  continued,  "  You  ought  to  dress  me  now  as  you  do 
your  other  soldiers,  for  am  not  I  now  one  of  your 
troops  ?  " 

I  observed  that  I  had  already  given  him  stuff  enough 
to  clothe  his  whole  family. 

"  But  my  bubu  and  breeches  are  dirty  now  !  "  he  replied. 
"  Well,  go  and  wash  them,  you  wretch ! "  was  the  angry 
rejoinder.  "  What !  "  he  cried,  "  would  you  like  a  soldier 
under  such  a  chief  as  you  to  demean  himself  by  such  work 
as  that  ?  " 

Sheriff  Hameit,  to  whom  I  had  sent  Abiddin's  letter  the 
evening  before,  answered  us  very  impolitely,  declaring  that 
his  religion  forbade  him  to  have  anything  to  do  with 
infidels. 

I  consoled  myself  for  this  fresh  failure  by  having  a  chat 
with  the  little  Kunta  Tahar,  Mohamed's  companion,  who 
had  come  on  to  Gungi  to  see  that  the  rice  was  duly 
handed  over  to  us. 

He  told  me  of  the  death  in  1 890  near  Saredina  of  Abiddin, 
the  son  of  Hamet  Beckay,  of  whom  he  had  been  a  faithful 
retainer  when  at  Gardio  near  Lake  Debo. 

This  Abiddin  and  his  followers  had  come  to  make  a 
pilgrimage  to  the  tomb  of  the  great  marabout,  and  also  to 
try  to  win  recruits  against  the  Toucouleurs  of  Massina, 
with  whom  Abiddin  carried  on  the  struggle  begun  by  his 
father.  Two  columns  had  marched  forth  against  them,  one 
from  Mopti,  the  other  from  Jenne,  and  surrounded  them. 
Abiddin  was  wounded  and  taken  prisoner,  but  his  faithful 
Bambaras  of  Jenne,  who  had  always  followed  his  fortunes, 
rescued  him  from  the  hands  of  the  enemy.     But,  alas  !  no 


FROM   TIMBUKTU    TO   TOSAYE  141 

less  than  three  bullets  hit  the  doomed  man  after  this  first 
escape,  killing  him  on  the  spot,  and  a  great  storm  then 
arose  which  put  an  end  to  the  battle,  only  a  few  of  those 
engaged  in  it  escaping  to  tell  the  tale. 

The  wind,  which  was  very  violent  and  dry,  whirled  up 
such  quantities  of  sand  that  the  corpse  of  Abiddin  was 
buried  beneath  it,  and  no  one  was  ever  able  to  discover  the 


WEAVERS   AT  GUNGI. 


place  where  he  lay,  as  if  Nature  herself  wished  to  protect  his 
body  from  desecration  and  insult. 

Tornadoes  play  a  great  part  in  the  histories  of  Kunta 
wars.  Hamet  Beckay  is  supposed  to  have  had  the  power 
of  calling  them  up  when  he  liked,  and  to  have  by  their  means 
several  times  overwhelmed  armies  sent  to  attack  him,  but 
that  of  Saredina  came  too  late  to  save  his  son. 

Can  it  have  been  the  story  told  to  me  by  my  friend  the 
Kunta  which  caused  a  tremendous  tornado  to  sweep  down 


142  THE   EXPLORATION   OF  THE   NIGER 

upon  us  that  very  evening,  with  thunder  and  lightning  and 
torrents  of  rain  all  complete,  soaking  everything  and  every- 
body on  board  ? 

Our  rice  shelled,  put  into  bags,  and  stowed  away  in  the 
hold,  we  went  on  and  anchored  the  next  morning  opposite 
Baruba  to  breakfast  there.  The  ancient  town,  the  Kaaba 
of  the  Tuaregs,  which  was  still  standing  in  the  time  of 
Barth,  has  since  been  destroyed,  but  its  site  is  marked  by 
piles  of  rubbish  such  as  are  still  characteristic  of  the 
environs  of  Timbuktu,  and  from  their  vast  extent  prove 
that  it  was  a  city  of  considerable  importance. 

The  country  round  about  is  extremely  picturesque.  The 
descendants  of  those  who  dwelt  in  the  old  city  have  moved 
a  little  further  down  stream  to  a  dune  which  is  so  com- 
pletely surrounded  with  water  during  inundations  as  to 
form  an  island.  They  bury  their  dead  beneath  the  shade 
of  the  thorny  bush  beyond  their  settlement.  At  Baruba 
we  saw  some  date  trees  which  had  reverted  to  the  wild 
state,  and  were  very  majestic  looking.  We  visited  the 
site  of  the  old  town,  and  then  anchored  opposite  its  suc- 
cessor. Now  that  the  waters  of  the  Niger  were  beginning 
to  subside,  and  the  island  was  becoming  a  peninsula  only, 
the  inhabitants  were  losing  their  sense  of  security,  and 
talking  of  migrating  to  an  islet  in  the  river  itself  opposite 
their  present  home.  A  few  huts  had  already  been  put 
up  on  it,  making  white  spots  amongst  the  dense  green 
verdure. 

There  we  received  envoys  from  the  chief  named  Abder 
Rhaman,  who  brought  us  a  letter  in  which  we  were  in- 
formed that  the  reason  the  writer  did  not  come  to  see  us 
was,  that  he  was  afraid  we  should  not  understand  each 
other,  and  bad  results  might  ensue. 

Then  came  a  band  of  Kel-Owi,  serfs  of  the  Igwadaren, 
bringing  ten,  twenty,  or  thirty  sheep,  which  they  informed 


FROM    TIMBUKTU   TO    TOSAYE 


143 


us  they  meant  to  give  us.  The  number  of  animals  seemed 
increasing  at  every  moment,  and  I  at  once  feared  there 
was  some  sinister  intention  behind  this  unusual  generosity. 
But  no,  I  was  wrong.  They  were  really  good  fellows  these 
Kel-Owi,   though   the   merit  of  their   munificence   rather 


FATHER  HACQUART  AND  HIS  LITTLE  FRIEND. 


melts  away  when  you  examine  closely  into  motives.  It 
was  present  for  present,  as  of  course  they  knew  I  should 
not  take  their  beasts  without  giving  them  something  in 
exchange.  I  had  the  greatest  difficulty  in  making  our 
visitors  understand  that  our  boats  were  not  sheep-pens, 
and  that  all  I  could  do  was  to  choose  out  the  five  finest 
animals. 


144  THE   EXPLORATION   OF  THE   NIGER 

All  the  imrads  or  serfs  with  whom  I  came  in  contact 
seemed  to  me  quiet,  inoffensive  folk,  when  one  does  not 
pick  a  quarrel  with  them,  in  which  they  differ  entirely  from 
the  Tuaregs  of  Algeria.  They  are  of  much  paler  com- 
plexion than  the  nobles  or  Ihaggaren. 

In  spite  of  what  Abder  Rhaman  said  in  his  letter,  he 
decided  to  come  and  see  us.  He  was  an  Arma,  or  descendant 
of  the  old  conquerors  from  Morocco,  with  a  proud,  dignified 
bearing,  and  seemed  to  be  a  good  and  energetic  ruler. 

We  had  a  very  friendly  conversation  with  him,  during 
which  the  halt  and  lame,  with  all  the  sick  people  of  the 
village,  came  to  ask  for  medical  advice.  The  doctor  really 
multiplied  himself  in  an  extraordinary  way,  working 
miracles  of  healing. 

During  the  night  of  the  23rd  to  the  24th  of  May  we  were 
roused  by  a  great  commotion  in  the  village,  and  prepared 
for  every  contingency,  but  in  the  morning  Abder  Rhaman 
came  to  explain  the  mystery,  telling  us  that  the  Hoggars 
had  made  a  raid  on  the  Igwadaren  settlements.  Sakhaui  had 
sent  ten  men  to  reconnoitre,  one  of  whom  was  his  brother. 
They  had  met  the  enemy,  whose  force  was  superior  to 
theirs,  and  had  had  to  beat  a  retreat,  with  two  of  their 
number  wounded.  Sakhaui's  brother  had  had  his  horse 
killed  under  him. 

On  the  rumour  of  the  approach  of  the  Hoggars,  which 
had  reached  Baruba,  during  the  night,  the  village 
was  deserted,  every  one  carrying  off  all  the  property  he 
could,  and  the  noise  we  had  heard  was  that  made  by  the 
canoes  taking  over  the  wretched  goods  and  chattels  of 
the  poor  people  and  the  materials  of  their  huts  to  the  point 
called  Ansel  Makkoren.  They  had  not  dared  to  warn  us 
for  fear  of  being  fired  on  by  our  sentry. 

I  greatly  regret  that  I  was  not  at  Zarhoi  when  the  news 
came  of  the  arrival  of  the  Hoggars.     We  might  have  given 


FROM   TIMBUKTU   TO    TOSAYE  145 

Sakhaui  timely  aid  in  repulsing  them,  and  thus  have 
aided  to  avenge  the  murder  of  Flatters,  whilst  the  danger 
he  was  in  would  very  likely  have  driven  the  Igwadaren 
chief  into  our  arms. 

Later,  however,   I   had  the  satisfaction   of  hearing  that 
the  column  of  Hoggars  who  had  advanced  towards  Tim- 


LITTLE  NEGROES   AT   EGUEDECHE. 


buktu   had  been   surprised    and    partly  destroyed  by  the 
spahis  of  Captain  Laperrine. 

A  short  march  in  the  afternoon  brought  us  to  Eguedeche, 
where  we  cast  anchor  opposite  a  little  slave  village  on  the 
very  edge  of  the  river.  At  first  the  negroes  all  ran  away, 
and  when  we  landed  we  found  nothing  but  empty  huts. 
Presently,  however,  a  wail  went  up  from  amongst  the 
fugitives,  for  Father  Hacquart  made  a  sudden  dash  at  them, 
and  emerged  carrying  a  little  boy  of  about  a  year  old  in 


146  THE    EXPLORATION    OF   THE    NIGER 

his  arms,  who  screamed  in  terror,  but  was  soon  reassured  by 
the  caresses  of  the  father,  and  began  playing  with  his  long 
beard. 

The  little  fellow's  parents  were  not  far  off,  and  they 
watched  what  was  going  on  from  behind  some  dwarf  palms, 
where  they  had  taken  refuge  with  the  rest  of  the  villagers, 
and,  their  fears  allayed,  they  now  came  out  followed  by 
their  comrades. 

The  large  village  of  Eguedeche  is  some  little  distance 
from  the  river,  and  is  hidden  behind  a  dune.  The  inhabit- 
ants, who  are  the  masters  of  the  slaves  in  the  little  village 
near  which  we  had  anchored,  are  Kuntas.  They  showed  us 
the  ruins  of  an  earthen  hut  which  had  belonged  to  Sidi  el 
Amin,  one  of  Hamet  Beckay's  brothers.  The  chief  of 
Eguedeche  came  to  meet  us  in  person,  accompanied  by  one 
of  his  relations,  who  belonged  to  that  part  of  the  tribe 
which  was  under  the  rule  of  Baba  Hamet,  a  son  of 
El  Beckay.  I  persuaded  him  to  go  back  and  tell  his 
chief  of  our  approach,  that  I  was  the  'nephew  of  Abdul 
Kerim,  and  anxious  to  see  Baba  Hamet  and  his  brother 
Baye. 

The  news  of  the  Hoggar  raid  was  confirmed  by  the 
people  here. 

Though  we  were  able  to  remain  on  pretty  good  terms 
with  the  inhabitants  of  the  left  bank  of  the  Niger,  we  felt 
that  an  obstinate  hostility  to  us  was  growing  on  the  other 
side,  and  during  the  day  of  the  25  th  an  adventure  occurred 
which  proved  that  we  were  right. 

We  had  to  halt  about  8  o'clock.  The  Aube  was  already 
anchored  at  the  base  of  a  dune,  and  the  Davoust  was 
amongst  the  grass  near  a  village,  the  inhabitants  of  which 
had  come  to  barter  their  eggs  and  poultry  for  our  glass 
beads.     The  wind  had  fallen,  and  I  had  already  given  the 


FROM   TIMBUKTU   TO   TOSAYE  147 

signal  to  start,  when  from  amongst  a  group  of  Tuaregs  who 
had  been  posted  on  the  dune  watching  our  boats  without 
approaching,  a  negro  was  sent  to  say  they  wished  to  speak 
to  us. 

In  his  hand  the  envoy  held  a  red  woollen  coverlet  which 
I  had  sent  from  Rhergo  to  Mohamed  Uld  Mbirikat,  and 
which  he  told  me  had  been  taken  from  him  partly  by 
persuasion  and  partly  by  force  by  Abu,  a  brother  of  Sakhib. 

This  coverlet,  the  messenger  explained,  was  sent  to  prove 
that  he  came  from  Abu,  who  exhorted  us  to  keep  away 
from  the  right  bank  of  the  river,  to  go  down  stream  if  we 
liked,  but  to  refrain  from  landing. 

The  Atibe  had  already  started,  and  on  account  of  the 
tiresome  wind,  which  made  us  lose  the  best  hours  every 
day,  we  had  very  little  time  to  push  on,  so  I  resisted  my 
desire  to  remain  where  I  was  and  see  what  Abu  would  do. 
I  sent  him  an  answer,  however,  to  the  effect  that  I  was 
going  on,  not  because  he  ordered  me  to,  but  because  I 
wished  to  do  so,  as  I  had  already  made  an  arrangement 
with  his  elder  brother.  I  added,  I  had  nothing  at  all  to 
do  with  Abu,  and  did  not  recognize  him  as  having  any 
authority  whatever  in  the  country. 

In  the  evening  we  tried  in  vain  to  anchor  near  the  village 
of  Moyadikoira,  the  weeds  quite  prevented  our  getting  in, 
and  we  had  to  content  ourselves  by  stopping  near  a  little 
island  opposite  to  it.  We  tried  without  success  to  attract 
the  natives.  They  came,  it  is  true,  in  their  canoes  as  far  as 
the  boundary  of  weeds  and  rushes,  but  they  would  not  land 
on  our  island.  I  was  very  anxious,  however,  to  find  out 
what  was  in  the  wind  among  the  Tuaregs,  and  also  to  buy 
some  wood  for  burning.  In  these  parts,  where  weeds  and 
grass  often  make  it  impossible  to  land,  the  question  of  how 
to  get  fuel  for  cooking  purposes  is  often  a  very  serious  one, 


148  THE    EXPLORATION    OF    THE    NIGER 

and  we  had  to  be  very  economical  with  what  we  did 
succeed  in  obtaining.  It  is  not  that  there  is  not  plenty  of 
wood  to  be  had,  if  there  were  not  steam  navigation  would 
be  indeed  difficult  here ;  but  in  order  to  procure  it,  it  is 
necessary  to  go  to  the  first  line  of  dunes  beyond  the 
highest  point  of  the  great  inundations.  There  are  plenty  of 
gum  trees  there,  and  all  we  have  to  do  is  to  get  the  natives 
to  cut  them  down,  and  carry  the  wood  to  the  boats.  It 
throws  out  a  great  heat  when  burning. 

On  the  26th  a  canoe  passed  us  in  which  were  some 
people  from  Bamba,  who  told  us  that  the  Tademeket 
Kel  Burrum  had  met  at  Dongoe  with  the  intention  of 
attacking  us. 

On  hearing  these  tidings  Sidi  Hamet  burst  into  tears, 
and  in  the  end  he  entreated  me  to  let  him  leave  us  at 
Tosaye  to  go  back  to  Timbuktu. 

Since  we  had  passed  through  the  Igwadaren  districts, 
the  character  of  our  guide  had  undergone  a  complete 
transformation,  which  was  anything  but  an  improvement. 
I  knew  he  had  had  a  letter  from  Timbuktu,  but  I  did  not 
know  what  was  in  it.  I  do  know,  however,  that  the 
silly  fellow  is  a  great  fool,  and  very  jealous  about  his 
wife.  "  She  is  such  a  beautiful  woman,"  he  informed  us  one 
day,  "  and  so  beautifully  dressed.  She  carries  the  value  of 
at  least  four  bars  of  salt  on  her  back."  Is  he  afraid  of  the 
fate  of  the  husband  described  by  Moliere?  Is  his  fear 
real  or  feigned  ?  Anyhow  he  is,  or  pretends  to  be,  a  con- 
stant prey  to  the  greatest  terrors.  He  who,  till  we  reached 
Kardieba,  was  always  so  gay  and  so  bold,  ready  to  carry 
out  every  enterprise  I  entrusted  to  him,  he,  who  had  always 
expressed  such  immovable  confidence  in  the  success  of  all 
our  schemes  of  alliance  with  the  Awellimiden,  could  now 
only  dwell  on  the  melancholy  fate  which  awaited  him  and 


FROM   TIMBUKTU   TO    TOSAYE  149 

us  :  we  should  be  murdered,  he  too  of  course,  and  he  should 
never  see  his  dear  wife  again  who  has  the  value  of  four 
bars  of  salt  on  her  back,  etc.  I  had  tried  by  kindness  and 
by  scolding  to  restore  his  moral  tone,  but  it  was  no  good, 
and  feeling  how  foolish  it  would  be  to  place  confidence  in 
such  a  coward,  who  was  quite  ready  to  deceive  us  if  he 
could  thus  prevent  us  from  going  further,  I  gave  him  the 
permission  he  asked  for,  seasoning  my  compliance,  how- 
ever, with  a  few  pretty  severe  remarks.  This  quieted  him 
for  a  bit,  but  he  very  soon  recommenced  his  jeremiads 
on  the  dangers  he  would  incur  on  his  way  back  to 
Timbuktu.  To  cut  the  matter  short,  however,  I  at  last 
forbid  him  ever  to  mention  the  matter  to  me. 

There  was,  however,  some  truth  in  all  that  Sidi  Hamet 
said.  The  natives  we  met  grew  more  and  more  hostile. 
On  the  morning  of  the  27th  we  crossed  the  rocky  pass 
known  as  Tinalschiden,  and  then  Dongoe,  where  rumour 
said  we  were  to  be  attacked.  We  were,  in  fact,  followed  on 
either  bank  by  troops  of  mounted  Tuaregs,  some  thirty 
altogether,  I  should  say,  but  this  was  not  a  very  formidable 
force,  and  after  all  they  abstained  from  any  hostile  manifest- 
ation. The  wind  compelled  us  to  halt  for  a  few  minutes 
opposite  Dongoe  on  the  left  bank,  and  a  horseman  rode 
forward  and  hailed  the  Davoust.  I  exchanged  greetings 
with  him,  a  necessary  prelude  to  every  conversation,  even 
if  that  conversation  is  to  lead  to  a  quarrel.  I  asked  him  to 
give  me  the  news  of  the  country,  and  he  told  me  I  should 
get  them  at  Tosaye  from  Sala  Uld  Kara. 

At  about  two  o'clock  we  perceived  in  front  of  us  two 
great  masses  of  rock.  These  were  the  Baror  and  Chalor 
mentioned  by  Barth,  which  form  land,  or  rather  water- 
marks at  the  defile  of  Tosaye.  A  canoe  at  once  put  out 
from  the  left  bank,  in  which  was  a  relation  of  Sala,  who 


I50  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

came  to  offer  his  services  as  guide.  The  numbers  of  the 
Tuaregs  on  the  right  bank  now  increased,  and  I  wished  to 
parley  with  them,  but  our  pilot  prevented  it.  A  few  strokes 
of  the  oar  soon  brought  us  opposite  Sala's  town,  known  as 
Sala  Koira  or  Tosaye.     We  landed. 


TAKING   AbTKONOMlCAL   OBSERVATIONS. 


TusAVE,    WITH    THE    BARuK    AND    CHABAR   ROCKS. 


CHAPTER  IV 


FROM   TOSAYE   TO   FAFA 


TOSAYE  is  a  village  of  sheriffs.  They  are  as  pacific  and 
timid  a  set  of  people  as  can  possibly  be  imagined,  but  for 
all  that,  they  gathered  on  the  beach  on  our  arrival  in  war- 
like array,  trying  to  make  up  for  the  courage  they  lacked 
by  being  armed  to  the  teeth.  Each  marabout  was  really  a 
walking  arsenal.  This  made  us  feel  inclined  to  laugh  ;  but 
what  was  a  far  more  serious  matter,  was  the  fact  that 
groups  of  Tuaregs,  who  seemed  to  be  waiting  for  us,  had 
gathered  behind  the  village.  Our  guide,  who  had  sprung 
ashore  directly  we  landed,  had  disappeared,  and  no  one 
seemed  anxious  to  enter  into  conversation  with  us.  I  told 
Sidi  Hamet  to  come  down  and  take  me  to  Chief  Sala,  or 
to  one  of  his  representatives  ;  but  our  political  agent  at 

151 


152  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

first  stoutly  refused  to  do  so.  We  had  to  drag  him  from 
the  boat  almost  by  force,  and  then  he  went  up  to  one 
of  the  groups  which  appeared  the  least  hostile,  entered  a 
hut,  and  kept  us  waiting  outside  for  his  return  for  half- 
an-hour. 

He  came  at  last,  with  a  brother  of  Sala,  bearing  very 
bad  news.  Sala  by  an  unlucky  chance  had  gone  on  a 
journey,  and  the  people  of  the  village,  fearing  that  we  were 
going  to  fight  with  the  Tuaregs,  would  be  very  glad  if  we 
did  not  land  here  at  all.  This  was  succeeded  by  a  whole 
rigmarole  of  information — much  of  it  contradictory,  but  all 
alarming.  A  great  gathering  of  Awellimiden,  Tademeket 
Kuntas,  etc.,  was  massed  at  the  Tosaye  defile  to  oppose 
our  passage,  etc.  Sala  himself  was  amongst  the  rest  of 
our  enemies. 

What  was  to  be  done  ?  We  were  in  need  of  provisions, 
our  reserve  stores  were  beginning  to  give  out,  and  I  wanted 
to  lay  in  a  stock  of  grain,  for  who  could  tell  what  we  might 
expect  further  down  the  river  ? 

I  also  wanted  guides.  Ever  since  we  had  left  Timbuktu 
the  narrowness  and  difficulties  of  the  Tosaye  defile  had 
been  dinned  into  our  ears.  Even  Dr.  Barth  is  not  very 
reassuring  in  what  he  says  about  it,  for  he  asserts  that  a 
stone  could  be  flung  by  a  vigorous  hand  from  one  bank  to 
the  other,  and  speaks  of  the  probable  existence  of  very 
strong  currents,  perhaps  even  of  rapids. 

We  were  told  that  some  twelve  years  ago  an  army  of 
Toucouleurs  had  tried  to  descend  the  Niger  in  canoes. 
They  were,  however,  completely  annihilated  at  Tosaye, 
crushed  beneath  masses  of  rocks  which  the  natives  rolled 
down  on  them  from  the  top  of  the  cliffs.  Of  course  I 
knew  that  allowance  must  be  made  for  exaggeration,  but 
for  all  that  I  feared  that  we  should  be  at  very  great  disad- 
vantage in  the  narrow  pass  if  we  did  have  a  conflict  with 


FROM   TOSAYE   TO   FAFA  153 

the  natives.  We  must  therefore  put  out  all  our  diplomacy 
to  avoid  a  struggle. 

Without  seeming  to  give  any  credence  to  the  alarmist 
reports  of  Sidi  Hamet,  or  to  be  in  the  least  disconcerted 
by  them,  I  entered  into  conversation  with  Sala's  brother, 
and  very  soon  managed  to  introduce  the  subject  of  Abdul 
Kerim. 

I  revealed  my  relationship  to  him,  and  as  usual  it  pro- 
duced the  anticipated  effect.  Sala  was  not  aware  that  I 
was  the  nephew  of  Barth  ;  he  must  at  once  be  told.  As  a 
mark  of  gratitude  and  a  token  that  I  really  was  speaking 
the  truth,  I  gave  him  the  name  of  the  cook  of  his  former 
leader.  El  Beckay.     Her  name  was  Diko. 

No  doubt  when  Barth,  with  his  usual  German  precision, 
registered  the  name  of  that  humble  but  useful  personage, 
the  information  did  not  seem  likely  to  be  of  very  great 
importance  to  future  generations.  He  little  knew  the 
service  he  would  render  nearly  half-a-century  afterwards 
to  his  pretended  nephew. 

With  such  a  proof  as  this  who  could  fail  to  belie:ve  that 
I  really  was  the  nephew  of  my  "  uncle,"  especially  as  Diko 
was  not  yet  dead,  but  was  living  at  a  camp  in  the  interior  ? 
The  result  of  my  news  was  that  Sala  had  not,  after  all, 
gone  on  a  journey,  and  would  perhaps  visit  us.  His 
brother  at  once  hastened  to  land  to  take  the  tidings  to  him, 
his  whole  manner  and  expression  completely  transformed. 

He  soon  came  back  to  report  that  Sala  was  not  gone, 
but  still  in  the  village,  and  when  his  brother  had  told  him 
who  I  was  he  had  wept,  for  he  saw  in  my  arrival  the 
fulfilment  of  a  prophecy  made  by  his  leader. 

The  fact  was,  that  when  Barth,  accompanied  by  El 
Beckay,  arrived  at  Tosaye,  the  German  explorer  had  no 
doubt  been  in  more  danger  than  at  any  other  time  during 
his  adventurous  expedition. 


154  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

The  Tademeket  Kel  Burrum  had  resolved  on  his  death, 
and  all  the  eloquence,  all  the  religious  influence  of  his 
protector  could  not  soften  their  feelings  of  animosity 
towards  him. 

At  this  crisis,  and  seeing  that  a  terrible  outbreak  of 
hatred  and  fanaticism  was  imminent,  El  Beckay,  in  the 
interests  of  his  friend,  came  to  a  weighty  resolution.  He 
told  the  Tuaregs  that  neither  they  nor  he  were  powerful 
enough  to  decide  a  matter  so  important  as  the  fate  of 
Earth,  and  that  El  Khotab,  head  of  the  great  confederation 
of  the  Awellimiden,  alone  had  the  right  to  final  judgment. 

Leaving  the  banks  of  the  river.  El  Beckay  then  went 
alone  to  El  Khotab,  and  persuaded  him  to  give  a  safe- 
conduct  to  Barth,  whom  he  looked  upon  as  his  own 
proUg^. 

Barth  never  knew  the  danger  he  had  run.  In  his  book 
he  merely  mentions  that  El  Beckay  was  away  for  four 
days  to  fetch  fresh  camels  to  take  the'  place  of  their  weary 
animals,  which  was  of  course  a  mere  pretext  on  the  part  of 
his  protector,  and  is  a  fresh  proof  of  the  delicate  tact  and 
consideration  for  the  doctor  shown  by  the  great  Kunta 
marabout. 

Now  it  so  happened,  that  whilst  he  was  discussing  the 
matter  with  the  Tademeket,  El  Beckay  was  seized  with  one 
of  his  attacks  of  prophetic  delirium,  and  prophesied  that 
some  day  the  son  of  Abdul  Kerim  would  return  with  three 
boats. 

We  had  three  boats.  I  claimed,  giving  irrefragable  proofs, 
to  be  the  nephew  of  Barth  ;  it  was  impossible  to  deny  that 
the  prophecy  was  fulfilled.  We  must  add,  to  round  off  the 
story,  that  Madidu  is  the  son  of  the  very  El  Khotab  who 
saved  my  *'  uncle." 

Sala  sent  me  word  by  his  brother  that  he  would  not 
himself  come  on   board  for  fear   of  doing   me  harm    by 


FROM   TOSAYE   TO   FAFA 


155 


showing  the  friendship  which  really  now  united  us  ;  but 
anxious  to  be  useful  to  us,  he  would  go  to  Madidu,  or  at 
least  write  to  him,  and  he  hoped  to  have  the  same  success 
as  his  master,  El  Beckay,  had  had  before  him.  Meanwhile 
he  would  supply  us  with  all  we  needed. 

In  fact,  the  next  morning  we  were  able  to  buy  as  much 
grain  as  we  wanted,  and  Sala  gave  us  his  own  son  Ibrahim 
as  a  guide. 


THE    ROCK   BAROR    AT    TOSAYE. 


We  started  about  one  o'clock  on  Saturday,  February  29, 
and  passed  between  the  Baror  rock  and  the  left  bank.  We 
very  soon  saw  the  Tuaregs  already  alluded  to  gathering  on 
the  right  bank.  They  were  of  the  Tademeket  tribe,  against 
whom  Sala  had  warned  us.  They  followed  our  boats,  but 
as  yet  made  no  hostile  demonstrations. 

We  arrived  at  the  picturesque  entrance  to  the  defile 
without  incident. 

From  the  right  bank  juts  out  a  line  of  rocks,  partly 


156  THE    EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

barring  the  passage.  In  the  narrow  opening,  which  is  all 
that  is  left,  the  current  is  probably  very  strong  when  the 
water  is  low,  but  just  now,  when  the  river  was  at  its  highest, 
it  was  perfectly  calm,  and  only  moved  very  slowly  round, 
its  surface  flecked  with  foam  in  the  restricted  space  in 
which  it  is  confined,  the  width  of  that  space  varying  from 
390  to  490  feet. 

On  either  side  rise  red  and  black  cliffs,  which  look  as  if 
they  had  been  calcined,  cut  across  here  and  there  with 
veins  of  white  quartz,  giving  to  the  scene  a  grand  though 
somewhat  melancholy  character.  Barth  relates  that  accord- 
ing to  the  natives  the  skin  of  a  young  bull  cut  into  strips 
and  joined  together  would  not  be  long  enough  to  reach  the 
bottom  of  the  river  at  this  spot.  Business  of  a  very  dif- 
ferent kind  prevented  us  from  verifying  this  belief. 

Presently,  exactly  at  the  place  specified  by  Barth  as  the 
narrowest  part  of  the  gorge,  a  group  of  horsemen  detached 
themselves  from  the  Tademeket,  and  one  of  them  advanced 
towards  the  edge  of  the  cliff  holding  up  a  letter  for  us 
to  see. 

Already  the  evening  before  we  had  talked  over  what 
it  would  be  best  to  do  under  certain  circumstances  should 
they  arise.  I  now  had  the  Davoust  steered  close  to  the 
cliff  so  as  to  be  able  to  receive  the  letter  from  the  Tuareg, 
but  the  Dantec  and  the  Aube  remained,  one  on  the  right 
the  other  on  the  left,  ready  to  rake  the  banks  with  a  cross- 
fire if  any  hidden  ambush  should  be  discovered. 

I  took  the  letter,  and  Father  Hacquart  read  it  at  once. 
It  was  a  regular  declaration  of  war,  couched  in  very 
suitable  language ;  diplomatists  could  have  found  no  fault 
with  it. 

Yunes,  chief  of  the  Tademeket,  saluted  me  a  thousand 
times  and  wished  me  all  prosperity.  It  would  afford  him 
the  greatest  pleasure  to  let  us  pass  down  the  river  and  even 


FROM   TOSAYE   TO   FAFA  157 

to  help  us  to  do  so.  Unfortunately,  however,  we  followed 
different  routes,  and  I  was  of  a  different  religion  to  his. 
This  being  so,  all  I  had  to  do  was  to  return  to  Timbuktu, 
and  if  I  did  not  he  would  be  under  the  necessity  of  declar- 
ing war  against  me. 

I  answered  that  it  took  two  to  go  to  war,  and  my  tastes, 
as  well  as  the  instructions  I  had  received  from  my  chief, 
were  to  avoid  it  at  any  price.  I  should  therefore  go  quietly 
down  the  Niger  as  far  as  it  was  navigable.  If,  however,  the 
river  became  so  bad  that  the  natives  on  the  bank  were  able 
to  prevent  our  further  progress,  they  could  attack  us,  and 
they  would  then  see  what  my  reply  would  be. 

Whilst  the  Father  and  Tierno  were  reading  the  letter  I 
had  a  good  look  at  the  herald  who  had  brought  it.  After 
delivering  it  he  had  prudently  taken  refuge  behind  a  piece 
of  rock,  but  seeing  that  we  took  no  notice  of  him  he  first 
peeped  out  with  one  eye,  then  with  both  eyes,  and  finally 
ventured  into  the  open  and  thus  addressed  me — 

"  Is  there  any  hope,  after  all,  of  my  getting  a  pair  of 
breeches  ?  " 

The  question  appeared  to  me  infinitely  naive  and  appro- 
priate, for  the  breeches  he  wore  were  in  such  rags  that  they 
were  scarcely  decent,  and  the  holes,  drawn  together 
with  coarse  thread,  were  bursting  out  afresh.  Still  it  was 
not  exactly  the  moment  for  asking  for  a  new  pair. 

The  fellow  was  a  very  good  example  of  a  begging  tramp. 
This  fault  of  begging  has,  however,  its  advantages,  and  I 
felt  pretty  sure  that  if  we  had  acceded  to  his  request  in 
the  first  instance,  and  given  a  few  presents  to  the  other 
Tademeket,  we  should  easily  have  converted  their  hostility 
to  friendship. 

I  did  not  attempt  it  because  I  wanted  to  reserve  myself 
for  the  real  Awellimiden,  and  I  was,  moreover,  afraid  if 
I   once  began  giving  that  some  mistake  or  petty  quarrel 


158  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

might  make  it  more  difficult  than  ever  to  establish  good 
relations  later. 

My  reply  delivered,  we  resumed  our  voyage.  Seeing  us 
move  off  the  Tuaregs  uttered  savage  cries.  We  had  now 
a  perfectly  clear  course  before  us,  not  so  much  as  a  boulder 
impeding  our  passage  over  the  black  water,  shut  in  between 
the  lofty  cliffs,  on  which  the  Tademeket  very  soon  ap- 
peared. There  were  now  at  least  a  hundred  horsemen 
and  a  number  of  runners  on  foot.  They  shouted  and 
fumed,  working  themselves  up  into  a  fury  as  they  struck 
their  spears  on  their  shields  covered  with  white  antelope 
skin.  It  was  just  such  a  scene  as  one  pays  to  see  at  a 
circus,  and,  but  for  our  fears  for  the  future,  we  should  have 
been  delighted  with  it.  Women  and  children  too  now 
joined  the  procession,  watching  us  as  we  slowly  sped  on 
over  the  quiet  waters  of  the  pass. 

Very  soon  the  banks  became  lower,  green  meadows 
contrasted  with  the  black  rocks  of  Tosaye  ;  and  noticing 
a  little  islet  called  Adria,  we  anchored  off  it. 

Our  coolies  now  began  to  show  signs  of  discontent.  The 
shouts,  the  cries,  and  the  menacing  gestures  of  the  Tuaregs 
had  aroused  their  warlike  instincts,  and  they  conversed 
gloomily  together.  I  put  a  stop  to  this  at  once,  and  broke 
up  their  discussion  ;  but  it  wasn't  only  the  negroes  who 
gave  me  black  looks,  Bluzet  and  Taburet  were  also  furious 
and  full  of  bitterness  at  the  way  we  had  been  treated.  I 
confess  I  too  began  to  feel  put  out,  and  I  had  to  put  great 
stress  on  myself,  and  call  up  all  my  reasoning  powers,  to 
keep  my  temper.  Should  I  have  been  able  to  succeed  if 
Father  Hacquart  had  not  been  there  ?  I  would  rather  not 
answer  that  question. 

Fortunately  for  us  he  kept  his  composure  far  better  than 
we  did.  He  pointed  out  that  it  would  have  shown  no 
particular  courage  to  reply  with  our  guns  to  the  insults  of 


*s 

-  SH^^I 

i6o  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

natives  armed  only  with  spears,  and  he  told  me  that  when 
he  was  travelling  with  Attanoux  amongst  the  Azgueurs 
they  were  received  with  similar  hostility,  but  that  a  calm 
demeanour  and  the  exercise  of  tact  had  made  their  enemies 
of  one  day  the  best  friends  of  the  next. 

I  harangued  my  people.  Peace  was  restored,  and  that 
so  completely  that  we  were  presently  amusing  ourselves 
with  catching  the  goats  grazing  on  the  island  and  decking 
them  out  with  collars  of  different-coloured  velvets. 

Some  negroes,  who  lived  in  a  village  on  a  little  island 
near  ours,  came  to  see  us,  bringing  us  some  sheep.  They 
did  not  seem  at  all  excited  about  what  was  going  on,  and 
in  truth  were  accustomed  to  the  ways  of  the  Tuaregs. 

"  They  are  dancers,"  one  of  them  said  to  me,  pointing  to 
the  Tademeket,  who  still  continued  to  gesticulate  at  us. 

The  next  day,  March  i,  we  continued  our  journey, 
accompanied  as  before  by  Tademeket  on  the  right  bank. 
We  passed  the  Burrum  islands,  where^  the  river  is  very  wide, 
and  beyond  which  it  flows  between  two  lines  of  dunes 
forming  its  banks. 

The  scenery  is  perhaps  finer  here  than  anything  else  we 
have  seen  on  the  Niger.  The  mighty  dunes  look  as  if  they 
had  never  been  disturbed  by  man,  for  the  wind  at  once 
obliterates  all  trace  of  the  footsteps  of  passers  by.  There 
is  a  melancholy  poetry  about  them,  and  their  outlines  are 
rather  marked  than  disguised  by  the  thin  line  of  green  bush 
at  the  edge  of  and  in  the  water.  How  well  I  understand  the 
effect  produced  on  the  traveller  by  the  Sahara  in  spite  of 
its  apparent  monotony.  It  exercises  on  those  who  gaze 
on  it  for  long  at  a  time  something  of  the  hypnotic  attrac- 
tion of  the  sea.  I  am  not  the  only  one  who  feels  in  this 
way  about  the  dune  of  Africa,  for  Baudry  one  day  read  us 
the  following  sonnet  he  had  composed  on  the  subject : — 


FROM   TOSAYE   TO   FAFA  i6i 


THE    DUNE. 

Vague  summits  on  the  dim,  far  distance  rise  ; 
Then  wadys,  mirage,  and  that  northern  pass 
Where  flocks  in  summer  seek  the  mountain  grass  ; 
Next,  this  long  sand-hill  that  outstretched  lies  ; 
Nought  else  !     Six  aeons  long  the  solar  dyes 
Have  steep'd  the  dune  with  ochreous  gold  and  brass 
Flash'd  in  the  silica  like  broken  glass, 
And  dried  the  courses  dug  by  wrathful  skies. 
Yon  camel's  formless  bulk  against  the  blue 
Seems  parcel  of  the  wild  chaotic  scene  ; 
With  grounded  lance  and  figure  sharp  in  view, 
His  master  stands,  a  statue — well-knit,  lean — 
Then  striding  slow  athwart  the  tawny  sand, 
Sits  motionless  beside  the  river  strand. 


Every  now  and  then  our  Tuareg  companions  reappeared 
from  behind  the  yellow  crest  of  sand,  but  their  enthusiasm 
of  the  morning  had  considerably  cooled  down.  Horses 
and  men  alike  were  tired,  and  the  latter  were  dragging  the 
former  along  by  their  heads,  all  presenting  a  most  pitiable 
appearance.  Thus  escorted  we  arrived  about  five  o'clock 
in  the  evening  at  the  village  of  Bia  on  the  left  bank. 

Ibrahim,  the  son  of  Sala,  did  not  care  to  go  any  further. 
We  persuaded  an  old  Songhay  who  lived  in  the  village  to 
take  his  place.  Strange  to  say,  though  the  Tademeket 
continued  their  vociferations  on  the  right  bank,  there  was 
no  sign  of  hostility  from  the  left,  which  made  me  hopeful 
for  the  future.  We  saw  natives  on  foot  and  on  horseback 
pass,  and  they  stared  curiously  at  the  boats,  but  showed 
neither  fear  nor  anger. 

Night  fell,  and  we  had  sat  down  to  supper,  when  all  of 
a  sudden  there  was  a  great  noise  like  that  of  paddles 
beating  the  water,  or  horses  swimming.  To  arms !  was 
the  cry,  and  the  next  moment  all  were  at  their  posts.  The 
people  of  the  village  of  Bia  shouted  to  us  that  it  was  only 


i62  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

the  cattle  of  the  Tuaregs  crossing  a  little  arm  of  the  river ; 
but  unfortunately  for  their  veracity,  we  saw  the  next 
morning  that  there  was  neither  arm  nor  creek  anywhere 
near.  Whatever  may  have  been  the  cause  of  the  noise  I 
am  glad  it  disturbed  us,  for  it  proved  to  me  that  should 
an  emergency  arise  our  men  would  behave  well  and 
quietly. 

A  minute  later  a  canoe  from  the  right  bank  appeared, 
in  which  was  a  man  who  hailed  us  and  offered  us  a  sheep. 
He  said  he  was  a  gabibi,  or  negro,  and  lived  in  a  village 
some  little  distance  in  the  interior.  His  pale  complexion, 
however,  led  us  to  suppose  that  he  really  was  a  Tuareg 
who  had  come  to  spy  on  us.  He  had  arrived  when  our 
coolies  were  all  at  their  posts,  and  we  hoped  he  would 
report  what  he  had  seen. 

On  March  2  our  enemies  the  Tademeket  had  all  dis- 
appeared, but  their  place  was  taken  by  another  tribe,  the 
Tenger  Eguedeche,  with  whom  were,  a  few  Kel  es  Suk. 
A  religious  war  had  no  doubt  been  proclaimed  in  the 
country,  and  it  was  to  an  accompaniment  of  shouts  of  La 
ilia  il  Allah  !  that  we  pushed  on.  Every  now  and  then 
all  our  escort  performed  a  solemn  salaam,  prostrating  them- 
selves on  the  ground.  We  began  to  be  very  wrath,  and  I 
should  have  given  the  order  to  fire  on  the  least  provocation. 
Once  more,  however,  an  unforeseen  circumstance  calmed 
down  my  rising  martial  ardour.  We  were  no  longer 
followed  by  men  only,  but  by  numbers  of  women  and 
children.  Amongst  them  was  a  little  chap  as  round  as  a 
barrel,  who  kept  picking  up  handfuls  of  dust  and  flinging 
them  in  our  direction.  He  shall  be  the  first  victim  I 
resolved,  but  let's  have  patience.  A  Kel  es  Suk,  mounted 
on  a  big  white  camel,  who  headed  the  procession  now,  had 
never  lost  sight  of  us  since  we  left  Tosaye.  He  little 
knows  to  what  a  trifle  he  owes  the  preservation  of  his  life. 


FROM   TOSAYE   TO   FAFA  163 

Twenty  times  the  muzzle  of  my  rifle  covered  him,  and 
twenty  times  I  reflected  that  we  were  not  running  any 
immediate  danger,  and  that  there  would  be  nothing 
particularly  brave  in  drawing  the  trigger  on  an  unlucky 
wretch,  who  was  probably  merely  ignorant. 

Thus  attended  we  arrived  in  due  course  at  the  village  of 
Ha,  on  a  little  tributary  of  the  Niger.  We  cast  anchor, 
and  tried  to  open  negotiations;  but  the  inhabitants  fled 
from  us  like  a  swarm  of  grasshoppers.  They  shouted  at 
us  to  go  away,  and  when  we  asked  for  the  chief  of  the 
village,  they  replied  that  he  was  with  the  Tuaregs.  We 
waited  an  hour,  in  vain.  The  village  was  now  entirely 
deserted,  and  no  chief  appeared.  To  make  up  for  this,  we 
heard  the  tabala  or  war-drum  being  beaten  on  every  side, 
and  a  compact  mass,  consisting  of  from  500  to  600 
warriors,  took  up  their  position  opposite  our  anchorage, 
shouting  louder  even  than  the  day  before. 

We  thought  we  really  had  better  try  a  little  intimidation, 
for  since  the  morning  they  had  kept  telling  us  that  our 
guns  and  cannon  would  not  go  off,  for  Allah  had  forbidden 
them  to.  To  show  them  therefore  what  our  weapons  were 
really  capable  of,  I  decided  to  send  a  shell  over  their  heads 
at  random,  and  we  heard  it  burst  far  away  in  the  distance. 
The  band  at  once  dispersed  like  a  flight  of  sparrows,  but 
their  first  terror  over,  they  formed  up  again,  and  advanced 
with  a  courage  which  I  could  not  but  admire.  There  was 
nothing  left  to  do,  if  we  wished  to  avoid  a  real  conflict,  but 
to  set  sail,  so  we  went  and  cast  anchor  a  couple  of  miles 
further  on,  opposite  Mount  Tondibi,  or  the  Black  Mountain, 
as  it  is  called  in  Songhay,  though  why  I  cannot  say,  as  it 
really  is  of  a  beautiful  orange-red. 

The  next  day  was  a  repetition  of  what  this  had  been. 
The  Tenger  Eguedeche  followed  us,  howling.  We  anchored 
for  breakfast  off  the  right  bank,  and  they  withdrew  to  a 


i64  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

short  distance,  but  continued  to  spy  upon  us,  and  yelled 
at  us  when  we  left. 

At  about  two  o'clock  we  suddenly  saw  coming  along  the 
bank  from  the  opposite  direction,  a  fine-looking,  handsome 
Tuareg,  riding  a  splendid  black  horse.  His  clean  clothes 
and  well-kept  person  showed  that  he  was  a  chief  He 
advanced  towards  the  crowd,  who  had  halted  when  they 
caught  sight  of  him,  and  said  a  few  words,  at  which  they 
all  stopped  shouting  and  squatted  down.  He  then  came 
towards  us,  made  us  what  seemed  a  friendly  sign  with  one 
hand,  and  leaning  on  his  iron  spear,  the  copper  ornaments 
on  which  gleamed  in  the  sunshine,  he  watched  us  pass  by. 

After  this,  not  a  word,  not  a  cry  was  heard,  and  the 
right  bank  appeared  perfectly  deserted  ;  only  here  and 
there  behind  some  bush,  the  glitter  of  weapons  revealed 
the  presence  of  a  concealed  Tuareg  sentinel  watching  our 
movements. 

I  learnt  afterwards  that  the  Tuareg  on  the  fine  horse 
was  an  envoy  from  Madidu,  sent  to  the  Tenger  Eguedeche, 
to  order  them  to  cease  from  their  hostile  demonstrations. 
The  Amenokal  sent  them  word  that  he  considered  he  was 
the  only  person  who  had  a  right  to  decide  how  strangers 
should  be  treated  ;  and  therefore,  until  he  had  made  up 
his  mind,  no  one  was  to  show  us  either  friendship  or  hatred. 

We  had  some  little  difficulty  in  understanding  our  guide. 
The  Songhay  he  spoke  was  so  unlike  that  in  use  in  Tim- 
buktu. Towards  evening  he  wanted  us  to  go  up  a  little 
creek  on  the  left,  at  the  end  of  which,  with  the  aid  of  our 
glasses,  w^e  saw  a  number  of  camels  grazing ;  but  not 
knowing  why  so  many  animals  were  assembled  here,  for 
they  are  generally  kept  some  little  distance  from  the  river, 
I  thought  it  more  prudent  to  anchor  opposite  the  village 
of  Forgo,  on  an  island.  We  heard  the  tabala  beating 
around  us  again.    About  eight  o'clock  a  canoe  approached, 


FROM    TOSAYE   TO    FAFA  165 

in  which  was  the  brother  of  the  chief  of  the  village,  who 
hailed  us.  I  did  not  at  all  like  his  reserved  manner.  He 
kept  on  talking  about  the  tabala  of  Madidu,  which,  he  said, 
could  be  heard  when  it  was  beaten  all  over  the  country 
from  Burrum  to  Ansongo.  He  promised  us  some  presents 
from  his  brother,  but,  needless  to  say,  we  never  saw  them. 

We  started  very  early  the  next  morning,  winding  our 
way  amongst  the  numerous  islands  dotting  the  river. 

Presently  on  our  left  we  saw  some  beautiful  trees  with 
bushy  foliage,  and  all  of  a  sudden  from  their  midst  arose  a 
.greyish  mass  of  the  shape  of  a  truncated  pyramid.  There 
was  not  the  slightest  doubt  that  it  was  the  tomb  of  the 
founder  of  the  Songhay  dynasty,  Mohamed  Askia,  and  that 
we  were  close  to  Garo  or  Gao  ;  Garo,  the  ancient  capital 
of  the  Western  Sudan ;  Garo,  the  most  powerful  city  ever 
founded  by  negro  civilization,  the  metropolis  from  which 
radiated  the  various  routes  bringing  to  the  Niger  the 
produce  of  the  Tchad  districts  and  of  Egypt ;  Garo,  which 
but  two  Europeans,  Mungo  Park  and  Dr.  Barth,  had  ever 
seen. 

Our  emotion  at  this  stage  of  our  journey  can  be  better 
understood  than  described.  From  what  was  once  the 
mighty  town  of  Garo  the  river  mists  of  the  morning  rose 
up  ;  from  a  dead  city  now,  but  one  which  it  was  perchance 
our  mission  to  restore.  A  great  people,  whose  heart  this 
lost  city  may  be  said  to  have  been,  once  lived  and  flourished 
here.  The  Askias  had  united  under  their  banner  all  the 
African  states  from  Lake  Tchad  to  the  Senegal,  and  from 
the  desert  to  Say.  The  Songhay  empire  was  then  not 
only  the  most  powerful  in  Africa,  but  of  the  whole  con- 
temporary world. 

Felix  Dubois,  in  his  book  called  Timbuktu  the  Mysterious^ 
gave  an  account,  founded  on  the  Tarich  es  Sudan^  of  the 
Songhay,  which  supplements  well  the  information  given  to 


l66  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

Barth  about  the  people  who  once  dwelt  in  the  great  empire 
named  after  them. 

To  add  to  what  these  great  authorities  have  said  would 
be  mere  waste  of  time.  I  must  remark  here,  however,  that 
I  was  struck  by  the  fact  that  lower  down  the  Niger  the 
Songhay  have  taken  the  name  of  Djerma,  which  is  that 
of  the  district  and  its  inhabitants  where  they  now  dwell. 
This  name  Djerma  is  also  that  of  the  North  African  oasis 
which  was  known  to  the  ancients  as  Garama,  or  the  land  of 
the  Garamantes.  The  resemblance  between  the  two  can- 
not fail  to  strike  every  one. 

I  wonder  whether  the  two  words  Djerma  and  Garama 
have  the  same  origin  ?  and  if  the  Garamantic  race,  or,  as  it 
is  also  sometimes  called,  the  Sub-Ethiopian,  may  not  have 
been  the  primitive  source  of  all  the  negro  tribes  which  now 
people  the  Western  Sudan. 

If  it  be  so,  the  greater  number  of  the  ethnic  revolutions 
which  have  convulsed  the  country  have  really  after  all  been 
merely  a  struggle  for  ascendency  between  three  races — the 
Negro,  which  I  have  just  been  discussing ;  the  Berber,  of 
which  the  Tuaregs  are  the  purest  representatives ;  and  lastly, 
the  so-called  Fulah  race,  which  came  from  the  east,  and 
may  possibly  be  descended  from  the  ancient  Egyptians. 

I  give  my  idea  for  what  it  is  worth,  whilst  waiting  for  a 
more  exhaustive  study  to  be  made  of  local  dialects  or  the 
discovery  of  ancient  manuscripts  which  shall  throw  a 
clearer  light  on  the  subject. 

The  Songhay  empire  of  Garo,  which  was  at  one  time  so 
splendid,  had  within  itself  the  germs  of  its  own  decay,  for 
its  chiefs  were  Mussulmans.  The  polygamy  permitted  by 
Islam  gives  to  each  one  of  them  in  his  numerous  descend- 
ants a  perfect  legion  of  possible  rivals  ready  to  dethrone 
him  and  usurp  his  power.  It  is  to  this,  and  yet  more  to 
the  hateful  morality  of  the  Mahommedans,  always  ready  to 


FROM   TOSAYE  TO   FAFA  167 

find  an  excuse  for  the  most  heinous  crimes,  that  the  Askias 
owe  their  rapid  decline. 

Other  emotions,  however,  besides  those  connected  with 
historical  memories,  agitated  us  when  we  came  in  sight  of 
all  that  was  left  of  Garo.  It  was  there  we  were  told  that 
we  should  know  what  were  to  be  our  relations  with  the 
Awellimiden,  and  my  own  conviction  still  was — the  event 
proved  that  I  was  right — that  it  would  be  easy  enough  for 
us  to  pass  through  their  country  with  the  consent  of  their 
chief  Madidu,  but  terribly  difficult  to  do  so  without  it. 

We  wended  our  way  carefully  amongst  the  submerged 
islets  here  encumbering  the  course  of  the  Niger,  passing 
many  big  villages  with  thatched  huts,  and  seeing  through 
our  binoculars  large  numbers  of  natives  assembled  here 
and  there.  The  whole  of  the  district  bears  the  name  of 
Gao,  or  Gao-gao,  a  corruption  of  the  old  Garo.  We 
succeeded,  not  without  difficulty,  in  approaching  the  central 
village,  the  mosque  of  which  serves  as  a  kind  of  landmark. 
But  the  bank  was  very  low  and  partially  inundated.  It 
was  really  a  rice  plantation  belonging  to  the  inhabitants, 
and  we  soon  came  to  a  standstill. 

The  appearance  of  the  village  and  its  surroundings  was 
far  from  reassuring.  The  negroes  quickly  vacated  their 
huts,  and  some  wading,  others  in  canoes,  hurried  off  with  all 
their 'chief  valuables,  whilst  beneath  the  trees  and  on  the 
higher  banks  collected  groups  of  Tuaregs,  some  on  horse- 
back, others  on  foot,  watching  our  movements  in  silent 
immobility.  All  were  in  full  martial  panoply,  with  spear, 
sword,  and  huge  buckler.  I  made  a  white  flag  with  a 
dinner  napkin  and  hoisted  it  on  a  bamboo  stem,  which  I 
stuck  in  the  damp  ground.     We  then  waited  results. 

A  long  and  anxious  pause  ensued.  The  blacks  continued 
to  fly,  the  Tuaregs  appeared  to  be  consulting  together. 
At   last  two  negroes  came  forward  from   the   bank,  and 


i68  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

waded  through  the  mud,  which  was  above  their  knees, 
towards  us,  but  they  halted  at  a  respectful  distance.  They 
were  evidently  in  a  great  state  of  alarm,  and  would  only 
converse  with  us  from  afar  off;  if  we  attempted  to  approach 
them  they  decamped.  It  was  a  good  half-hour  before  we 
were  able  to  reassure  them  sufficiently  for  them  to  come 
close  to  us,  and  even  then  they  still  trembled. 

The  two  messengers  turned  out  to  be  Armas,  relations 
of  the  chief  of  the  village.  Their  first  articulate  words 
were  a  prayer  that  we  would  go  to  an  island  they  pointed 
out  to  us  rather  more  than  a  mile  away,  for  they  said 
they  were  afraid  we  should  come  to  blows  with  the  Tuaregs, 
and  that  their  village  would  suffer. 

We  tried  to  reassure  them,  telling  them  we  had  not 
come  to  make  war  ;  quite  the  reverse,  we  wanted  to  make 
friends. with  the  Tuaregs.  To  begin  with,  would  they  tell 
us  where  Madidu  was  ?  Madidu,  was  the  reply,  was  not 
far  off,  though  not  actually  in  the  village.  And  what,  we 
went  on,  was  the  meaning  of  all  this  gathering  of  forces,  as 
if  they  were  threatened  with  war?  It  was  to  defend  them- 
selves, they  said,  against  a  raid  of  the  Kel  Air,  which  they 
had  been  told  was  about  to  take  place.  I  avoided  replying 
that  the  Kel  Air  were  far  away  on  the  east  and  north, 
and  that  it  seemed  extraordinary  that  warriors  should 
have  gathered  on  the  banks  of  the  Niger  to  repulse 
them. 

But  to  return  to  the  question  really  at  issue.  I  begged 
the  envoys  to  announce  to  Madidu  the  arrival  of  the  nephew 
of  Abdul  Kerim,  whom  his  father  had  received  and  treated 
well  some  fifty  years  before  ;  adding  that  we  had  not  come 
to  do  any  harm,  in  proof  of  which  I  urged  that  when  the 
Tademeket  and  the  Tenger  Eguedeche  had  declared  war 
against  us  we  had  not  even  answered  their  challenge. 
My  uncle,  I  went  on,  had  given  El  Khotab  a  horse,  I 


I70  THE   EXPLORATION  OP^   THE   NIGER 

now  brought  the  saddle  for  that  horse  to  El  Khotab's  son. 
I  then  uncovered  a  splendid  velvet  saddle  embroidered  with 
gold,  the  handsomest  present  I  had  with  me,  for  it  seemed 
to  me  that  if  ever  the  moment  arrived  for  placing  it  well, 
it  was  at  this  juncture.  The  Sultan  of  France,  I  explained, 
had  sent  me  to  the  chief  of  the  Awellimiden  to  discuss 
matters  concerning  them  as  well  as  the  French,  and  I 
wished  for  an  interview  with  him,  or  at  least  with  his 
accredited  representatives. 

Our  visitors  then  withdrew,  and  we  waited  four  hours 
longer  without  news.  At  the  end  of  that  time  the  same 
negroes  reappeared,  to  tell  me  that  Madidu  was  then  in  the 
village  with  a  large  retinue  (I  greatly  doubted  the  truth  of 
this),  and  was  at  that  moment  consulting  with  his  principal 
advisers.  But,  they  added,  to  prove  your  good  intentions 
towards  the  natives,  go  to  the  island.  That  will  also  show 
that  you  mean  no  harm.  Madidu's  envoys  will  come  to 
you  there. 

I  preferred  yielding  to  this  pressing  invitation  to  go  than 
acting  in  a  high-handed  manner.  Moreover,  I  was  not 
sorry  to  put  a  little  distance  between  myself  and  the 
Tuaregs,  for  it  was  very  evident  that  in  any  discussion 
about  us  nine  out  of  ten  would  vote  for  attacking  us,  and 
in  our  island  we  should  be  perfectly  safe  from  surprise. 
We  should  see  what  to-morrow  brought  forth. 

We  estimated  the  number  of  warriors  now  assembled  on 
the  bank  at  several  thousand  ;  it  was  a  very  different  matter 
from  the  gathering  of  the  Tademeket  and  Tenger  Egue- 
deche  higher  up  stream. 

We  set  sail,  therefore,  and  when  night  fell  we  were 
camped  in  our  new  position.  In  memory  of  our  old  and 
valued  friend  Gauthiot,  who,  as  I  have  related,  had  defended 
our  expedition  from  all  the  detractors  in  France  who 
would  have  jeopardized  its  success,  I  named  after  him  this 


FROM   TOSAYE   TO   FAFA 


171 


little  corner  of  earth  in  the  river,  our  river,  where  our  fate 
was  really  to  be  decided. 

If  I  said  that  I  slept  peacefully  and  well  that  night  I  do 
not  suppose  any  one  would  believe  me. 

To  face  tangible  dangers  in  a  struggle  with  nature  or 
with  one's  fellow  men,  greater  or  less  courage  is  required, 
but  what  we  had  to  do  now  was  to  meet  such  hidden  risks, 
as  the  miner  who  goes  to  his  work,  not  knowing  at  what 
moment  he  may  be  suffocated,  blown  up,  or  crushed  to 


PALAVER   AT  GAO. 


death.  Even  the  miner,  however,  gets  accustomed  to  the 
risk  he  runs,  but  what  no  one  ever  becomes  used  to  is  the 
long  mental  fatigue  of  the  responsibility  of  knowing  that 
one  mischosen  word,  perhaps  even  one  wrongly  translated 
word,  will  be  enough  to  doom  to  destruction  all  those  who 
have  joined  their  fortunes  with  yours  with  full  confidence  in 
you,  for  whom  you  are  all  and  everything  for  the  time 
being. 

Father  Hacquart  slept  no  better  than  I  did  that  anxious 
night.  Would  he  have  slept  if  I  had  let  him  retire  to  his 
couch  ?     Who   can   tell  ?     I    needed   his  counsel  and   his 


172  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE  NIGER 

experience,  so  we  neither  of  us  closed  an  eye,  for  we 
discussed  the  situation,  and  what  we  should  say,  the  next 
day,  for  the  whole  night. 

The  result  of  our  conference  was,  that  we  resolved  to  do 
the  best  we  could  under  whatever  circumstances  misrht 
arise,  for  to  foresee  them  was  impossible  ;  in  a  word,  as 
sailors  say,  "  Trim  our  sails  according  to  the  weather." 

The  Father,  moreover,  took  an  optimist  view  of  our 
position,  partly  because  he  is  naturally  of  a  hopeful  dispo- 
sition, and  partly  because,  by  a  really  singular  chance,  our 
experiences  coincided  in  a  remarkable  way  with  his  own 
two  years  before,  when  he  was  in  the  Sudan  on  a  similar 
journey.  To  begin  with,  the  time  of  year  was  the  same, 
for  it  was  on  March  5  that  he  and  Attanoux  had  arrived 
to  confer  with  the  Tuaregs,  Azgueurs,  etc. 

All  night  the  left  bank  of  the  river  was  illuminated  with 
the  watch-fires  of  the  Tuareg  camp,  which  resembled  a 
great  conflagration.  We  had  not  been  wrong,  a  large,  a 
very  large  force  was  assembled  there. 

In  the  morning  my  heart  beat  fast  when  I  saw  a  canoe 
approaching,  and  I  made  out  in  it  one  of  the  negro  messen- 
gers of  the  chief  of  the  village,  a  Tuareg,  and  another  native 
whose  woolly  crop  of  hair  showed  him  to  be  a  Moor  or  a 
Kunta. 

The  boat  touched  land,  and  the  third  person  in  it  turned 
out  to  be  really  a  Kunta,  whilst  the  Tuareg  was  Madidu's 
blacksmith. 

Why  had  this  blacksmith  come  ?  Because  in  the  Sudan 
the  blacksmiths  form  a  regular  caste,  which  has  attained 
very  great  influence  over  the  negro  chiefs,  and  the  Tuaregs 
of  the  river  districts  followed  the  example  of  the  negro 
potentates  in  listening  to  their  counsels. 

Not  all  the  blacksmiths,  it  must  be  explained,  follow 
their  nominal  trade.     They  are  many  of  them  the  familiar 


FROM   TOSAYE   TO   FAFA  173 

friends  and  advisers  of  the  chiefs  ;  in  fact,  it  is  they  who 
often  wield  the  real  authority,  for,  as  often  happens  in 
Europe,  the  prime  minister  is  more  powerful  than  the  king. 

Ceremonial  greetings  having  been  exchanged  we  all  sat 
down.  My  fingers  were  cold,  my  throat  felt  parched,  but 
I  managed  by  a  strong  effort  at  self-control  to  appear 
perfectly  calm  and  indifferent. 

I  began  the  speech  already  resolved  on.  The  Kunta 
knew  Arabic,  so  that  I  was  fortunate  enough  to  be  able  to 
employ  Father  Hacquart  as  interpreter.  He  repeated  in 
Ta-Masheg  every  word  I  addressed  to  the  blacksmith. 

"  I  greeted  Madidu,  the  Commandant  of  Timbuktu 
greeted  Madidu,  and  the  Sultan  of  the  French  greeted 
Madidu.  We  were  the  white  people  who,  two  years  before, 
had  driven  the  Tenguereguif  and  the  Kel  Temulai  from 
Timbuktu.  We  had  already  come  twice  in  boats  to 
cement  our  friendship  with  the  people  of  the  country,  and 
to  trade  with  them,  without  any  idea  of  conquest.  The 
Tuaregs  had  received  us  badly,  insulted  and  provoked  us ; 
we  had  attacked,  beaten,  and  punished  them.  Allah  had 
given  us  their  city ;  we  were  there,  and  there  we  meant 
to  stay. 

"  But  the  Tuaregs  of  Timbuktu  had  nothing  in  common 
with  the  Awellimiden,  they  were  indeed  their  enemies. 
Between  Madidu  and  us  there  had  never  been  war. 

"  Now  that  we  were  neighbours,  the  Sultan  of  the  French 
thought  it  would  be  wrong  for  us  to  remain  any  longer 
unknown  to  each  other. 

"If  we  succeeded  in  making  friends,  nothing  but  good 
would  result  to  both  parties.  They  would  come  to 
Timbuktu  to  sell  their  oxen,  their  sheep,  and  their  gum, 
receiving  in  exchange  stuffs,  beads,  and  all  the  goods  the 
white  men  know  how  to  make. 

"  To  remain  longer  without  making  friends  would  be  to 


174  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

leave  gunpowder  close  to  a  fire.  The  day  would  come, 
through  no  fault  of  theirs  or  ours,  when  some  misunder- 
standing would  lead  to  a  scuffle  first  and  then  to  war. 

"  Moreover,  if  we  knew  their  power,  they  also  ought  to 
know  ours.  Evil  might  result  to  us,  but  worse  would 
befall  them. 

"  In  any  case  it  was  more  consistent  with  their  dignity 
and  self-respect,  as  well  as  with  ours, — for  were  not  we 
as  well  as  they  of  noble  race? — to  know  with  whom 
they  had  to  deal.  The  Sultan  of  the  white  men  had 
chosen  me  because  of  my  relationship  with  Abdul  Kerim, 
who  was  the  friend  of  the  Kuntas  and  the  Awellimiden. 
What  must  I  tell  that  Sultan  on  behalf  of  Madidu  ?  Was 
it  to  be  peace  or  war  ?  " 

This  speech  was  clear  enough,  and  the  reply  was  no  less  so. 
"  Madidu  greets  you.  If  you  have  come  with  pacific 
intentions,  as  you  said  yesterday  to  the  men  from  Gao,  he 
is  your  friend  ;  he  will  give  you  guides  to  take  you  where 
you  will,  to  Say  or  to  Sokoto.  If  evil  should  overtake  you 
it  will  be  from  heaven,  Madidu  answers  for  it  none  shall 
come  from  earth." 

This  beginning  could  not  but  please  us. 
We  told  the  young  Kunta,  who  acted  as  second  envoy, 
that  we  were  on  good  terms  with  his  relations  at  Timbuktu 
and  Kagha ;  and  then  we  tried  to  amuse  our  visitors, 
bringing  out  our  bicycle,  phonograph,  musical  box,  etc. 
All  our  attractions  were  paraded,  in  fact,  and  then,  after 
consulting  with  Father  Hacquart,  I  decided  on  a  grand 
coup.  Without  asking  for  anything  or  adding  another 
word,  I  bade  the  ambassador  farewell,  giving  him  the 
beautiful  velvet  saddle  to  take  to  Madidu. 

The  canoe  shot  back  across  the  river.  We  saw  a  Tuareg 
advance  from  amongst  a  group  of  horsemen,  mounted  on 
a  fine  bay  horse,  and,  strange  to  say,  carrying  a  musket. 


FROM   TOSAYE   TO   FAFA  175 

He  came  to  meet  the  envoys  as  they  landed  ;  they  handed 
^lJ:he  saddle  to  him,  and  when  they  caught  sight  of  it,  the 
(       Tuaregs  behind  him  clashed  their  shields  and  uttered  shrill 
cries. 

The  canoe  returned  immediately.  The  horseman  we 
had  just  seen  receive  the  saddle  was  Madidu  himself;  he 
thanked  us  a  thousand  times  for  our  beautiful  present,  and 
even  wished  to  come  to  us,  but  his  brothers,  fearing 
treachery  or  sorcery,  had  prevented  him  from  doing  so. 
Our  generosity  had  hit  the  mark,  and  judging  from  the 
manner  of  the  blacksmith,  we  could  make  a  very  shrewd 
guess  at  what  were  the  feelings  of  his  master. 

It  was  the  messenger's  turn  now,  and  I  gave  him  a 
beautiful  present  of  stuffs,  beads,  knives,  and  veils,  with 
which  he  was  delighted.  There  were,  however,  still  two 
things  that  Madidu  wanted,  but  if  it  was  difficult  to  meet 
his  wishes,  he  did  not  dare  to  insist  too  much,  for  we  had 
already  given  him  more  than  either  he  or  his  ancestors  had 
ever  received. 

The  first  thing  was  ten  silver  pieces,  not  for  himself,  but 
for  his  wife.  She  had  heard  him  speak  of  that  white 
metal  which  could  be  worked  like  copper,  and  of  which 
ornaments  were  made,  but  which  was  not  really  copper, 
and  she  did  so  long  to  see  some  for  herself  This  wish 
was  easy  enough  to  gratify,  and  to  the  ten  five-franc  pieces 
I  added  two  gold  rings. 

As  for  the  second  wish  of  the  Amenokal,  I  would  give 
you  a  thousand  guesses,  and  not  one  would  be  right.  He 
wanted  the  portrait  of  the  President  of  the  Republic. 

All  German  and  English  travellers  make  a  point  of 
giving  a  portrait  of  their  sovereign  to  native  chiefs. 
Thoughtless  people  may,  perhaps,  laugh  at  this,  but  for 
all  that  it  is  true  that  it  always  produces  a  considerable 
effect  to  show  a  photograph,  a  drawing,  or,  better  still, 


/ 


.176  THE   EXPLORATION   OP^   THE   NIGER 

a    chromo-lithograph,    with    the    words — "This    is    our 
Sultan ! " 

Knowing  this,  we  had  brought  with  us,  two  years  before, 
when  we  started  on  our  expedition,  a  hundred  coloured 
portraits  of  M.  Carnot. 

He  was  dead  now;  and  all  we  had  been  able  to  get 
were  a  few  engravings  of  President  Felix  Faure,  such  as 
you  see  at  all  the  mairies^  and  in  the  captain's  cabin  in  all 
the  ships  of  the  fleet. 

Wherever  we  passed,  the  portrait  of  the  Sultan  of  the 
French  was  the  object  of  great  curiosity.  I  had  pinned  it 
up  in  my  cabin,  and  every  one  wanted  to  see  it.  It  was  a 
bust  portrait,  and  the  eye-glass  hanging  from  a  ribbon  was 
shown  in  it.  After  looking  at  the  likeness  for  some  time 
in  silence,  the  Tuaregs  would  begin  asking  me  questions. 

"  Is  he  your  father  }  Why  has  he  three  eyes  ?  "  This  of 
course  was  suggested  by  the  eye-glass. 

I  had  hit  upon  a  very  simple  way  of  answering  both 
these  questions  at  once.  "  Of  course,"  I  would  reply,  "  he 
is  my  father ;  he  is  the  father  of  us  all,  and  he  has  three 
eyes  ;  it  is  just  because  he  has  so  many  children  that  two 
eyes  would  not  be  enough  to  look  at  them  all." 

No  one  ever  showed  the  slightest  surprise  or  incredulity 
at  this  double  explanation  of  mine,  my  reply  seemed 
perfectly  natural  and  satisfactory. 

But  to  return  to  Madidu.  He  had  heard  his  people  talk 
about  the  portrait,  and  anxious  to  possess  it,  he  sent  to  ask 
me  for  it.  His  wish  was  prompted  by  too  good  a  feeling 
towards  us  for  us  to  have  the  slightest  reason  for  saying 
no,  and  this  is  how  it  comes  about  that  the  portrait  of  the 
President  of  the  Republic  at  this  moment  adorns  the  tent 
of  the  Chief  of  the  Awellimiden,  and  goes  with  him  from 
the  banks  of  the  Niger  to  the  plateau  of  Air. 

After    breakfast    our    Kunta    came    back    once    more. 


FROM   TOSAYE   TO    FAFA  177 

Madidu  had  sent  to  ask  when  we  wished  to  start,  and 
hinted  that  the  chief  might  perhaps  visit  us  himself  a 
Httle  further  down  the  river.  In  any  case  the  Amenokal 
promised  to  send  us  a  letter  by  some  relation  of  his.  He 
would  let  us  have  the  various  promises  he  had  made  to  us 
in  writing,  and  he  now  renewed  them,  assuring  us  of  his 
friendship  and  his  resolve  to  protect  our  fellow-countrymen 
and  fellow-subjects. 

Madidu  was  now  anxious  to  be  off,  for  the  raids  of  the 
Kelgeres  or  Kel  Air,  of  which  we  had  heard  so  much,  were 
all  too  real,  for  they  had  actually  attacked  the  camp 
of  the  Kuntas,  who  were  on  friendly  terms  with  the 
Awellimiden,  and  were  under  the  command  of  Baye  and 
Bebe  Hamet,  sons  of  El  Beckay. 

The  chief,  therefore,  wished  to  settle  everything  with  us 
in  hot  haste,  so  as  to  be  free  to  go  and  meet  his  own 
enemies.  He  would,  however,  send  messengers  and  letters 
all  along  the  river  instructing  the  chiefs,  his  vassals,  to 
treat  us  well  and  supply  us  with  guides  and  provisions ;  in 
fact,  to  help  us  in  every  possible  way. 

I  should  very  much  have  liked  to  have  a  personal  inter- 
view with  the  Amenokal,  but  I  had  good  reason  to  know 
that  it  was  by  no  means  easy  to  get  access  to  Tuareg 
chiefs.  It  was  very  evident  too,  in  this  particular  case,  that 
although  Madidu,  whose  views  were  liberal  and  tolerant, 
and  who,  thanks  to  the  traditions  inherited  from  his  father, 
had  refused  to  listen  to  the  advice  of  those  hostile  to  us, 
there  did  exist  a  very  strong  party  against  us,  and  it  was 
necessary  to  avoid  putting  weapons  into  the  hands  of  our 
adversaries  by  giving  them  an  excuse  for  treating  us  badly. 
To  insist  on  prolonging  our  stay  or  on  seeing  the  chief 
might  have  brought  about  the  very  result  we  feared.  I 
therefore  decided  to  start  the  next  morning. 

We  sent  our  guides  back  after  paying  them  well,  and 


178  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

they  put  off  for  shore  in  their  canoes.  During  their  passage 
the  Tuareg  column  divided,  one  group  going  down  to  meet 
the  guides  when  they  landed.  The  latter  feared  that  the 
warriors  had  come  down  to  see  whether  we  had  not  been 
too  generous,  and  perhaps  to  make  them  divide  their  spoil 
with  them,  so  rather  than  risk  this  they  turned  round  and 
came  back  towards  our  camp. 

At  that  moment  a  great  noise  arose  on  the  right  bank, 
caused  by  the  clamour  of  a  number  of  petty  chiefs,  who 
in  their  turn  had  ordered  their  blacksmiths  to  cross  the 
arm  of  the  river  between  us  and  the  bank,  and  to  come  to 
greet  us  on  their  behalf.  These  visits  were  of  course 
prompted  by  interested  motives,  in  the  hope  of  getting 
presents.  Now  this  was  just  what  Madidu  had  wished  to 
avoid ;  he  did  not  feel  sure  enough  of  every  one  to  care 
that  crowds  should  go  to  see  us,  and  he  ordered  all  the 
messengers  to  be  driven  away,  which  led  to  a  good  deal 
of  recrimination,  the  echo  of  which  had  reached  us. 

Nevertheless,  El  Yacin,  one  of  the  most  important  of  the 
tributary  Amrars,  had  sent  his  adviser  to  us,  who  when  the 
canoe  which  had  brought  him  went  off  without  him,  settled 
himself  down  in  a  corner  on  board  the  Davoust  without 
showing  the  slightest  fear  of  us.  He  evidently  meant  to 
see,  hear,  and  touch  everything. 

I  have  already  said,  that  amongst  the  ornaments  of  my 
cabin  were  some  photographs  of  a  celebrated  singer. 
These  likenesses  excited  no  less  interest  than  did  that  of 
the  President,  which  was  hung  opposite  to  them,  especially 
as  the  costumes  of  Elsa,  Brunhilda,  Elizabeth  or  Salammbo, 
as  the  case  might  be,  appeared  to  the  Tuaregs  the  very 
acme  of  elegance,  which  shows  of  course  that  they  were 
not  wanting  in  a  sense  of  the  aesthetic. 

Our  blacksmith,  after  gazing  at  these  likenesses  for  a 
long  time,  turned  to  me  and  said — 


FROM   TOSAYE   TO    FAFA  179 

"  Is  she  one  of  the  women  of  your  country  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  Are  they  all  as  pretty  as  she  is  ?  " 

"  Of  course  they  are." 

"  Then  you  must  all  be  great  fools  to  have  left  them  to 
come  here." 

I  tried  to  make  him  understand  what  would  be  the 
delights  of  our  return  home,  how  our  chiefs  would  praise 
us,  and  our  fellow  citizens  admire  us,  how  the  whole 
country  would  ring  with  our  fame ;  but  it  was  no  good,  he 
stuck  to  his  original  opinion. 

To  prove  that  we  really  meant  to  start  the  next  day,  we 
now  began  to  furl  our  tents,  and  the  bank  opposite  us 
gradually  became  deserted.  When  darkness  fell  we  finally 
dismissed  our  guides. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the  6th,  guided  by  a  pilot  sent 
to  us  by  the  chief  of  Gao,  we  started  for  Bornu,  where 
Madidu  was  then  encamped,  and  arrived  there  about 
eleven  o'clock. 

The  river  was  still  easily  navigable,  although  here  and 
there  the  presence  of  eddies  proved  the  existence  of  rocks, 
which  no  doubt  crop  up,  and  are  dangerous  at  low  water. 
To  make  up  for  a  less  impeded  stream,  the  banks  became 
more  and  more  rugged  and  wild  as  we  proceeded.  Lofty 
black  and  red  cliffs  covered  with  gum  trees  and  sycamores 
succeeded  each  other,  and  we  found  that  Bornu  had  been 
very  exactly  described  and  drawn  by  Barth.  We  anchored 
at  the  base  of  a  perpendicular  rock  some  three  hundred 
and  twenty  feet  high.  Our  guide  went  to  the  village,  of 
which  we  could  see  the  huts  about  half-a-mile  off,  and  soon 
came  back  bringing  a  substitute. 

As  for  Madidu,  it  appeared  that  he  had  slept  in  his  camp, 
but  had  left  very  early  in  the  morning.  We  should  per- 
haps meet  him  at  Dergona,  where  we  changed  pilots. 


i8o  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

After  breakfast  we  started  again.  The  left  bank  now 
became  extremely  picturesque,  cliffs  of  red  rock  broken 
into  fantastic  forms  resembling  the  ruins  of  castles  occur- 
ring here  and  there,  whilst  far  away  on  the  right  rose  a  line 
of  rocky  mountains.  We  had  evidently  now  left  the  dunes 
behind  us. 

We  passed  the  night  near  Dergona,  of  which  we  could 
see  the  fires,  and  early  the  next  morning  we  arrived  there. 


Not  a  sign  of  Madidu.  He  had  gone  to  the  interior,  driven 
there  by  the  raids  of  the  Kel  Air.  When  night  fell  we  had 
reached  Balia,  the  Tabaliat  of  Barth. 

Near  the  landing-place  there  was  a  canoe  laden  with 
grain  deserted  by  the  owners,  who  had  run  away.  Gradually 
reassured,  however,  they  presently  returned,  and  from  them 
we  obtained  much  interesting  information  about  the  state 
of  the  neighbouring  districts  of  Say. 

Near  Sinder,  they  said,  lived  a  number  of  thieving  boat- 


FROM    TOSAYE    TO    FAFA  i8l 

men  belonging  to  the  Kurteyes  tribe,  who  had  lately  made 
a  raid  on  Balia. 

We  should  also  meet  Amadu  Cheiku  there,  who  owns 
several  villages  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  one  of  which  is 
surrounded  by  a  tata,  or  earthen  wall.  This  Amadu  Cheiku 
had  persuaded  a  Fulah  tribe  called  the  Gaberos,  who  had 
formerly  lived  near  Gao  under  the  rule  of  the  Awellimiden, 
to  emigrate  and  join  him. 


BABA,  WITH  THE  ROCKS  ABOVE  ANSONGO. 

He  had  lately  tried,  but  without  success,  to  induce  the 
people  of  Dergona  to  do  the  same. 

The  river-bed  now  became  more  and  more  rocky ;  we 
felt  the  eddies  and  rapids  a  good  deal,  although  navigation 
could  not  yet  be  called  difficult ;  and  in  due  course  we 
arrived  opposite  the  promontory  jutting  out  from  the 
island  of  Ansongo. 

Here,  running  from  south-east  to  north-west,  are  four 
great  blocks  of  flint  of  very  picturesque  appearance,  which 
look  like  landmarks  set  up  to  mark  a  very  remarkable 


i82  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

point  of  the  river,  and  as  a  matter  of  fact  it  is  below  them 
that  the  difficulties  begin  which  render  this  part  of  the 
Niger  practically  unnavigable. 

On  March  8  we  anchored  for  breakfast  opposite  one  of 
these  masses  of  rock,  off  Beba ;  then  following  the  arm  of 
the  river  furthest  to  the  left,  we  arrived  about  two  o'clock 
at  the  village  of  Ansongo,  inhabited  by  Kel  es  Suk.  The 
chief  of  that  tribe  himself  was  there. 

Close  to  our  anchorage  a  line  of  rocks  completely  barred 
the  arm  of  the  river  on  which  we  were.  Their  summits 
were  almost  level  with  each  other,  and  it  would  have  been 
quite  impossible  for  us  to  get  over  them.  Baudry,  however, 
went  off  exploring  in  a  canoe,  and  discovered  a  very 
narrow  winding  channel  on  the  left  at  the  foot  of  the  bank, 
through  which  it  would  be  just  possible  for  us  to  get  out. 

Meanwhile  the  Kel  es  Suk,  and  the  negroes  in  their 
service,  had  assembled  on  the  beach,  and  after  giving  them 
a  few  presents  of  little  value,  we  entered  into  conversation 
with  them.  All  seemed  likely  to  go  well.  El  Mekki, 
they  said,  would  supply  us  with  provisions  and  pilots,  and 
no  doubt  would  himself  come  and  see  us. 

I  was  indeed  glad  to  hear  that.  I  had  greatly  dreaded  a 
conflict  with  the  Kel  es  Suk,  for  we  knew  their  way  of 
going  to  work.  As  long  as  we  had  had  to  do  with  indi- 
viduals only,  their  hostility  did  not  matter  much ;  but  now 
we  had  to  deal  with  the  chief  of  the  whole  tribe,  and  it  was 
of  the  utmost  importance  to  conciliate  him. 

As  we  shall  see  further  on,  the  Kel  es  Suk  are  of  the 
same  race,  springing  from  the  same  source  as  the  Tuaregs. 

Separated,  however,  from  the  original  stock  after  the 
taking  of  Taddemekka  by  the  Songhay  of  Gao,  they  had 
espoused  the  tenets  of  Islam  at  a  happy  moment,  and  were 
now  the  marabouts  of  the  Tuaregs. 

As  a  result  they  exercise  a  great  moral  influence,  and  I 


FROM   TOSAYE   TO    FAFA 


183 


should  not  hesitate  to  assert  that  El  Mekki  alone  would  be 
able  to  put  a  veto  on  the  favourable  or  unfavourable  reso- 
lutions of  Madidu  with  regard  to  us.  From  which  it  will 
be  seen  clearly  enough  how  very  valuable  the  friendship  of 
this  El  Mekki  would  be. 

Before  the  evening  mists  arose  we  set  sail  to  go  through 
the  pass,  which  we  managed  to  do  without  accident,  and 
anchored  opposite  the  village  to  await  the  morning. 


1 

1 

jiRnHHHHH^H^^^^H' 

t£-ii/'i 

Hf'         • '  ^  ^ 

■i^-^ 

^ 

i 

THE   KEL   ES   SUK  OF   ANSONGO  REFUSE  TO   SUPPLY  US   WITH   GUIDES. 


On  the  9th  we  crossed  over  very  early,  but,  alas  !  the  day 
began  badly.  El  Mekki  did  not  come,  but  sent  instead 
two  messengers,  who — I  really  don't  know  on  what  stupid 
pretext — told  us  it  was  impossible  to  supply  us  with  guides. 
I  protested  in  vain,  invoking  the  name  of  Madidu. 

Political  reasons  imperatively  demanded  that  we  should 
make  a  friend  of  El  Mekki,  but  there  was  yet  another  more 
immediate  motive  for  our  desire,  and  that  was,  we  were 
close  to  the  rapids. 


i84  THE    EXPLORATION    OF   THE    NIGER 

As  I  have  already  said,  they  begin  at  Ansongo.  We  did 
not  yet  know  all  the  difficulties  they  would  cause  us ;  all 
we  had  to  help  us  was  what  Barth  had  said  about  them, 
and  we  had  never  known  him  wrong,  which  was  quite 
enough  to  prove  how  absolutely  indispensable  pilots  would 
be,  for  at  every  turn  we  should  have  to  choose  the  most 
practicable  of  the  many  arms  of  the  river. 

I  called  up  all  my  powers  of  patience,  and  tried  to  discuss 
the  matter  quietly,  but  it  was  only  labour  lost.  Indeed 
some  negroes  who  had  come  down  to  the  bank  to  speak  to 
us  were  ordered  back  to  the  village  by  the  Kel  es  Suk. 

Now  came  a  second  deputation,  this  time  an  openly 
hostile  one,  of  men  with  determined  faces. 

"  What,"  they  demanded,  ''  were  our  intentions  ?  " 

"  Peaceful  and  good,"  was  our  reply. 

"  What  is  your  religion  ?  "  they  went  on. 

"  That  of  Issa,"  we  answered  ;  "  whom  your  own  prophet 
names  as  his  forerunner.  We  are  Kitabi,  or  people  of  the 
book.  Your  own  religion  enjoins  you  to  treat  us  as  friends, 
seeing  that  we  entertain  amicable  feelings  for  you." 

Tierno  chimed  in,  arguing  with  his  fellow  marabouts  to 
make  them  listen  to  reason,  but  with  very  little  success. 

"Anyhow,"  I  said  at  last,  "your  fathers  let  a  Christian 
pass  through  their  country  in  peace,  and  indeed  they  even 
helped  him.  That  Christian,  my  uncle,  Abdul  Kerim,  was 
the  friend  and  protege  of  Sidi  Hamet  Beckay ;  do  you 
think  you  can  do  better  than  your  fathers,  and  the  chief 
who  was  venerated  throughout  the  whole  of  the  Sudan  ?  " 

Surprise  and  hurried  interrogations  now  ensued. 

"  What  !  are  you  the  nephew  of  Abdul  Kerim  ?  " 

I  read  Barth's  book  every  day,  so  that  it  is  rather 
difficult  to  put  me  out  when  his  adventures  are  discussed. 

Now  it  so  happened  that  just  before  he  reached  Ansongo 
a  little  episode  occurred  to  him  which  is  well  worth  relating. 


FROM   TOSAYE   TO   FAFA  185 

Without  any  disrespect  to  the  memory  of  my  "  uncle  " — 
my  very  worthy  and  excellent  "  uncle  " — I  suspect  him  of 
having  been  the  hero  of  at  least  one  idyl  on  the  banks  of 
the  Niger,  in  which  a  young  beauty  of  the  Kel  es  Suk 
tribe  also  played  her  part. 

Her  name  was  Neschrun,  and  Barth,  who  generally 
dismisses  the  charms  of  the  black  or  brown  beauties  he 
came  across  in  his  travels  curtly  enough,  dwells  on  her 
graceful  figure,  her  pleasing  manners,  her  beautiful  black 
eyes,  and  her  hair  parted  on  her  brows,  d  la  Vierge,  He 
does  not  even  neglect  to  tell  us  that  she  wore  a  garment 
alternately  striped  with  black  and  red,  which  was  most 
becoming. 

The  attraction  was  evidently  mutual,  for  he  adds  that 
she  one  day  said  to  him,  half  in  fun — 

"  Will  you  marry  me  ?  " 

What  prevented  the  course  of  true  love  running  smoothly 
was  some  question  about  camels. 

"  I  expressed  to  her,"  says  Barth,  "  all  the  regret  I  felt 
at  being  obliged  to  refuse,  and  whilst  explaining  how 
sensible  I  was  of  the  honour  she  did  me  I  told  her  my 
camels  were  too  tired  to  carry  her." 

I  have  already  referred  to  the  standard  of  beauty 
amongst  these  people,  and  how  they  admire  embonpoint ; 
and  I  may  here  add  that,  when  a  woman  has  achieved  the 
weight  desired,  she  might  very  well  claim  to  be  admitted 
into  the  so-called  "  S octet e  des  Cent  Kilos!'  The  name  given 
to  this  special  charm  by  the  Tuaregs  is  tebulloden^  and 
those  who  know  anything  of  the  onomatopoeia  theory  will 
see  in  a  minute  how  appropriate  it  is  to  a  Tuareg 
Venus  who  is  not  content  with  being  merely  a  Venus 
Callipyge. 

Neschrun,  no  doubt,  was  rather  of  the  tebulloden  style  of 
beauty,  so  that  it  is  quite  possible  that  the  camels  of  the 


i86  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

German  traveller  were  really  not    equal  to    carrying  her 
weight. 

Now  was  not  this  a  good  story  to  prove  my  identity  in 
my  parley  with  the  messengers  from  El  Mekki  ? 

It  actually  turned  out  that  Neschrun  was  the  sister  of 
El  Mekki,  and  was  still  alive,  so  of  course  I  made  a  great 
fuss  about  seeing  her  at  once.  Alas !  she  was  far  away  in 
the  interior,  and  it  was  no  use  hoping  that  she  could  come 
to  me  or  that  I  could  go  to  her,  so  I  had  to  be  content 
with  sending  her  a  present  of  a  folding  mirror  with  three 
glasses,  trimmed  with  plush,  which  had  cost  about  three 
shillings.     See  how  generous  I  was  ! 

The  messengers  went  back  to  tell  El  Mekki  all  about  it, 
and  we  at  once  became  capital  friends.  Two  slaves 
belonging  to  the  chief  of  the  Kel  es  Suk  were  given  to  us 
as  guides,  and  we  started  again,  but  not  before  I  had  sent 
my  affectionate  greetings  to  the  lady  who  might  have 
been  my  aunt  if  she  had  not  been  so  fat,  or  if  Earth's 
camels  had  been  better  able  to  carry  heavy  loads. 

My  dear  "uncle"!  my  brave  "uncle"!  my  providential 
"  uncle " !  yet  once  again  had  you  drawn  a  sharp  thorn 
from  the  foot  of  your  nephew  when  the  happy  thought 
occurred  to  you  of  relating  your  love  affair  with  a  daughter 
of  the  Kel  es  Suk. 

The  current  was  now  very  strong,  running  at  the  rate  of 
4j  rhiles  an  hour.  We  could  not  fail  to  see  that  we  had 
drunk  our  best  wine  at  the  beginning  of  the  feast,  and  that 
we  must  now  husband  our  resources  most  carefully.  In 
other  words,  we  must  steer  with  the  greatest  caution. 

The  fresh  breeze  from  the  south  drove  the  Aube  a  little 
out  of  her  course,  and  she  struck  on  a  bed  of  coarse  gravel. 
She  was,  however,  in  very  little  danger,  and  we  soon  got 
her  off  again.  But  when  out  of  the  narrow  channel  she 
was  flung  violently  on  to  a  sharp  rock,  and  there  remained 


i88  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

stationary.  The  water  was  so  deep  just  there  that  the 
cooHes  could  not  stand  in  it,  and  it  was  only  with  the 
greatest  difficulty  that  we  rescued  our  consort  this  time. 
However,  after  swimming  about  her  for  an  hour  our  efforts 
were  at  last  rewarded  by  seeing  her  afloat  again. 

About  109  yards  further  down  stream  we  doubled  the 
point  of  the  island  of  Ansongo. 

The  right  arm  of  the  river,  which  we  could  now  see 
distinctly,  was  completely  encumbered  by  rocks  and  rapids. 
Our  barges  could  certainly  not  have  got  past  them. 

In  front  of  us  eddies  and  ripples  showed  that  there  were 


THE    '  DANTEC      EXPLORING  THE   PASS. 


also  rocks  ahead  of  us.  Our  guides  were  brave  fellows 
enough,  but  I  did  not  believe  they  were  much  accustomed 
to  the  river,  so  I  decided  to  make  the  two  big  boats  anchor 
here.  Baudry  and  I  having  removed  the  canvas  sail  which 
would  have  given  purchase  to  the  wind,  and  having  pressed 
into  the  service  every  available  oar,  started  to  examine 
the  channel,  which,  though  very  tortuous,  turned  out  to  be 
both  wide  and  deep.  We  then  returned  on  board,  and 
without  further  incident  we  went  on  undaunted  amongst 
the  grass  close  to  the  left  bank. 

The  Aube  had  leaked  dreadfully  since  she  struck,  and 
four  men  with  buckets  could  scarcely  bale  her  out.     Our 


FROM   TOSAYE   TO    FAFA  189 

carpenter,  Abdulaye,  dived  beneath  her,  and  discovered 
that  one  of  the  planks  of  her  bottom  had  got  loose,  but  we 
managed  to  patch  it  up  somehow. 

To  wind  up  this  day,  which  had  been  so  full  of  un- 
pleasant excitement,  a  storm  presently  overtook  us,  during 
which  we  were  soaked  to  the  skin,  whilst  from  the  banks 
rose  an  odour  of  musk  so  strong  as  to  be  positively 
sickening. 

Every  now  and  then  there  were  ripples  close  to  the  boat, 


caused  by  an  alligator  plunging  into  the  water.     It  would 
not  do  to  fall  overboard  just  there. 

A  comparatively  quiet  reach '  brought  us  the  next  day 
to  the  northern  point  of  the  island  of  Bure,  probably  the 
Tiburanen  of  Barth,  on  the  rugged  rocks  of  which  a  village 
was  picturesquely  perched.  Opposite  to  us  on  the  left  was 
a  mound  with  slopes  covered  with  tents,  whilst  on  the 
summit  was  drawn  up  a  squadron  of  Tuaregs  ready  to  de- 
fend it,  with  foot  soldiers  in  the  front  of  the  square  and  the 
cavalry  in  the  centre.  All  remained  motionless,  watching 
the  approach  of  our  boats.  We  landed  on  the  island,  and 
the  negroes,  who  at  first  seemed  timid,  came  slowly  towards 


I90 


THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 


us.  Then  a  canoe,  in  which  were  several  Tuaregs,  crossed 
the  stream,  whilst  our  guides  with  vehement  gestures 
explained  who  we  were,  and  what  we  wanted. 

As  soon  as  this  was  understood  the  battalion  posted  on 
the  mound  broke  up  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  and  canoes 
began  to  ply  rapidly  to  and  fro  between  the  left  bank  of 
the  river  and  the  island,  bringing  over  the  Tuaregs,  so  that 
we  were  soon  surrounded  by  a  crowd  of  some  three  or  four 


m^^^^        mm. 

HI 

^^^- ".  j^SJwtpH 

"■■'*  ''\  ■.-  '^^^^ 

^£ 

CANOES   AT   BUKE. 


hundred  men,  some  Ifoghas,  others  sheriffs.  They  had  at 
first  been  afraid,  they  said,  when  they  saw  our  boats,  but 
now  they  were  our  best  friends.  We  brought  out  our  little 
presents,  such  as  rings,  bracelets,  pipes,  and  knives,  which 
evoked  a  perfect  delirium  of  joy.  In  exchange  we  received 
eggs,  butter,  poultry,  and  some  pretty  little  leather  bags 
our  visitors  called  abelbodh.  We  resumed  our  voyage  by 
the  left  arm  of  the  stream,  which  was  narrow,  and  much 
encumbered  with   rocks.     On    the  banks  were   numerous 


FROM   TOSAYE   TO   FAFA  191 

flocks  of  sheep  grazing  on   the   grass   and  the  succulent 
weeds. 

The  whole  population  followed  us  as  before  at  Gao, 
shouting,  but  now  the  cries  were  friendly  and  pacific. 
Every  time  we  halted  to  distribute  presents  the  enthusiasm 
increased,  men,  women,  and  children  —  the  last-named 
merry  little  creatures,  with  wide-awake  expressions — flung 
themselves  into  the  water  to  fight  for  a  ring  or  a  bit  of 
glass. 


FLOCKS  AND   HERDS  AT  BURE, 


Every  now  and  then  an  important  chief  would  receive 
what  we  called  a  complet,  the  object  of  desire  of  every 
Tuareg — that  is  to  say,  a  piece  of  Guinea  or  blue  cotton 
cloth  nine  yards  long — five  to  make  the  bubii  or  mantle, 
and  four  for  the  breeches.  There  is  no  doubt  that  our  visit 
will  long  be  remembered,  and  I  hope  that  the  first  traveller 
to  succeed  us  may  have  as  much  cause  to  thank  Abd  El 
Kader,  as  I  called  myself,  as  I  had  to  bless  the  name  of 
Abdul  Kerim. 

The  island  of  Bure  does  not  belong  to  the  Tuaregs. 
Strange  to  say — for  the  fact  is  really  unique  on  the  Niger 
between  Timbuktu  and  Sansan  Hussa — a  Songhay  chief, 


192  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

Idris  by  name,  is  the  real  owner.  He  pays  no  tribute  to 
Madidu,  and  though  the  flocks  and  herds  of  the  sheriffs 
and  Ifoghas  are  now  grazing  on  his  land,  it  is  only  by  his 
permission,  and  because  their  owners  are  in  dread  of  a  raid 
of  Kel  Avis. 

We  halted  at  the  village  of  Idris,  and  he  came  to  see  us. 
We  made  a  league  of  friendship  with  him,  leaving  in  his 
hands  a  document  which  was  a  kind  of  protectorate  treaty, 


GUIDES  GIVEN   TO   US   BY   IDRIS. 


and  a  flag.  He  on  his  side  lent  us  three  of  his  subjects, 
one  of  them  his  own  brother,  to  replace  our  Ansongo 
guides,  who  now  returned  to  their  village,  having  been  well 
paid  for  their  services. 

These  Songhay  of  Idris  were  splendid  fellows,  wearing 
veils,  and  carrying  weapons  similar  to  those  of  the  Tuaregs ; 
but  their  complexions  were  perfectly  black,  so  that  no  one 
could  mistake  them  for  Arabs.  They  are,  as  a  rule,  very 
tall  and  of  herculean  strength. 


FROM   TOSAYE   TO    FAFA  193 

It  really  was  a  pleasure  to  have  to  do  once  more  with 
men  of  such  a  noble  type  as  this,  after  being  thrown  for  so 
long  amongst  the  degraded  negroes  of  the  Niger  districts ; 
and  it  is  easy  to  understand  what  this  Songhay  race  must 
have  been  in  the  old  days,  when  it  dominated  the  Western 
Sudan  under  the  Askia  chiefs,  and  Gao  was  their 
capital. 

In  spite  of  all  our  efforts  and  all  the  skill  of  our  guides 
we  were  not  able  to  avoid  running  aground  several  times 
on  the  nth,  and  our  crafts  again  sustained  a  good  deal  of 
damage.  We  had  hardly  started  before  the  Aiibe  struck  on 
a  large  flint  shaped  like  the  head  of  a  man.  There  she 
stuck  for  three  hours,  with  a  current  rushing  by  like  that  of 
the  river  of  hell,  and  a  reef  on  either  side,  on  one  of  which 
it  seemed  as  if  she  must  be  wrecked  if  we  succeeded  in 
getting  her  off. 

Everybody  rushed  to  the  rescue.  Our  own  men  and 
our  guides  alike  all  flung  themselves  into  the  water, 
showing  equal  energy  and  devotion. 

Every  moment  we  expected  to  see  the  unlucky  vessel 
part  in  two,  the  bow  going  one  way  and  the  stern  another. 
At  last,  however,  we  did  manage  to  fling  a  grappling-hook 
on  to  the  left  bank,  and  after  many  fruitless  efforts,  some 
of  the  men  tugging  at  the  part  of  the  boat  which  had 
struck,  whilst  others  hauled  away  from  the  stern  at  the 
grappling-hook,  we  succeeded  in  moving  the  vessel,  which, 
taken  in  the  rear  by  the  current,  was  floated  off.  She 
joined  the  Davoust  soon  afterwards,  but  not  without 
touching  bottom  again  by  the  way. 

We  started  once  more  about  two  o'clock,  great  blocks 
of  flint  everywhere  impeding  progress.  But  our  guides 
assured  us  that  this  was  nothing.  "  Wait,"  they  said,  "  till 
you  get  to  Labezenga,  then  you  will  see ! "  A  charming 
prospect  truly ! 


194  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

In  the  evening  we  reached  Bentia,  the  Biting  of  Barth, 
where  we  halted  for  the  night. 

We  pushed  on  early  the  next  day  to  Fafa,  arriving  there 
about  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning.  Here  the  stream  is 
divided  into  two  arms  by  an  island  on  which  a  village  is 
hidden,  with  an  approach  presenting  anything  but  a 
reassuring  appearance.  But  we  had  other  things  to  see  to 
before  exploring  it. 

Directly  we  anchored  a  Tuareg  came  to  accost  us.  He 
turned  out  to  be  an  envoy  from  Djamarata,  the  nephew  of 
Madidu,  who  he  said  was  at  the  village,  specially  accredited 
by  that  chief  to  complete  the  negotiations  begun  with  us 
at  Gao,  and  to  give  me  the  letter  I  had  asked  for. 

The  village  of  Fafa  is  occupied  by  Peuls  or  Fulahs,  who, 
like  all  the  rest  of  the  sedentary  races  whom  we  met  with 
who  are  face  to  face  with  the  Tuaregs,  were  in  a  state  of 
abject  fear,  wondering  what  would  happen  between  the 
white  visitors  and  the  dreaded  Arabs,  both  of  superior  race 
in  the  eyes  of  the  negroes.  Would  they  quarrel  with 
each  other  ?  W^ould  they  come  to  blows  ?  Not  wishing  to 
play  the  part  of  the  iron  between  hammer  and  anvil,  they 
were  full  of  anxiety  and  trouble. 

The  old  fellow  who  had  come  out  as  envoy  climbed  on 
to  the  Davoust.  He  did  not  wish  me  to  land,  Djamarata 
must  come  on  board.  As  for  him,  he  meant  to  stop  where 
he  was.  Fortunately  my  Songhay  from  Idris  were  not 
quite  such  cowards,  and  they  tried  to  reassure  the  poor  old 
man,  but  when  he  still  seemed  terrified  they  gave  him  a 
good  scolding.  Djamarata  was  seated,  meanwhile,  some 
hundred  yards  from  the  river  bank,  surrounded  by  about 
a  dozen  Tuaregs.  The  brother  of  Idris  finally  took  me  by 
the  arm,  and  we  went  together  towards  him.  We  saluted 
each  other,  we  shook  hands,  neither  of  us  looking  in  the 
least  inclined  to  eat  the  other.     But  this  peaceable  greeting 


FROM   TOSAYE   TO   FAFA 


f95 


did  not  reassure  the  silly  old  messenger,  who,  with  a  feeling 
which  really  did  him  honour,  came  and  crouched  almost 
between  my  legs  to  protect  me. 

Djamarata  was  a  young  man  of  about  thirty  years  old, 
at  least  that  was  what  I  supposed  from  all  I  could  see  of 
his  face,  which  was  almost  hidden  by  the  tagelmust  wrapped 
about  the  lower  part.     He  was  tall  and  of  a  commanding 


PALAVER   WITH   DJAMARATA. 


presence,  whilst  his  great  black  eyes  were  lit  up  with 
intelligence.  All  Madidu's  boys  being  still  under  age,  he 
was  his  uncle's  right  hand,  alike  the  confidant  and  the 
commander-in-chief  of  the  Amenokal's  army. 

Our  interview  was  very  brief  I  simply  repeated  what  I 
had  said  at  Gao,  and  Djamarata  informed  me  that  my 
statement  tallied  with  what  he  had  heard  from  the  chief 
of  the  Awellimiden. 

Now  about  the  letter  I  had  asked  for.     As  he  had  not 


196  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

a  marabout  in  his  suite  who  knew  how  to  write  Arabic, 
he  proved  his  confidence  in  Tierno  by  letting  him  indite 
it  without  hesitation,  and  the  latter  set  about  it  at  once. 
Here  is  a  literal  translation  of  his  production  : 

Letter  from   Madidu   and  his  nephew  Djamarata   to   the 
Sultan  of  the  French. 

"  The  object  of  this  letter  is  to  inform  you  that  we  have 
come  to  an  understanding  with  Commandant  Hourst, 
known  under  the  name  of  Abd  el  Kader,  on  the  following 
points  : — between  us  and  him  there  shall  be  only  good  and 
peace ;  your  traders  shall  come  to  us  by  land  and  by  water, 
assured  that  no  one  in  our  country  will  molest  them  in  any 
way.  You  will  bring  no  trouble  into  our  possessions,  nor 
interfere  with  our  civil  and  religious  traditions.  Be  it  also 
known  unto  you,  that  so  soon  as  your  envoys  are  returned, 
and  you  will  have  proved  our  truth,  you  will  see  us  come 
and  go  alone  and  in  parties  by  land  and  by  water.  This 
is  the  exact  truth  without  reserve  and  without  exaggeration. 
After  you  have  given  us  the  promises  mentioned  we  shall 
be  brothers  ;  greeting  !  " 

Djamarata  asked  me  in  my  turn  to  leave  behind  me  a 
written  statement  of  the  verbal  arrangement  we  had  made. 
This  seemed  only  fair,  and  here  is  my  reply : 

Letter  from  Commandant  Hourst^  surnamed  Abd  el  Kader, 
to  Madidu y  Amenokal  of  the  Awellimiden,  and  to 
Djamarata  his  nephew. 

"  This  is  to  certify,  that  having  been  sent  by  the  Sultan 
of  the  French  to  you  to  establish  eternal  peace  between  us, 
and  to  inaugurate  commercial  and  friendly  relations,  and 
having  received  from  him  full  powers  to  speak  in  his  name. 


FROM   TOSAYE   TO   FAFA  197 

I  can  assure  you  that  our  only  desire  is  to  act  in  the 
manner  explained  in  your  letter.  We  will  not  establish 
posts  in  your  country,  nor  touch  that  which  belongs  to 
you,  nor  change  your  civil  and  religious  traditions  in  any 
way. 

"  You  can  come  to  us  in  peace  in  numbers  or  alone,  to 
trade  or  merely  to  visit  us.  Once  in  our  territories,  which 
are  on  the  west  of  the  dune  of  Ernesse,  you  will  find 
nothing  but  good  and  peace. 

"  As  for  what  you  say  on  the  subject  of  our  religion,  we 
are  governed  by  the  law  of  Sidna  Issa  (Jesus  Christ) ;  we 
know  that  there  is  but  one  God  ;  we  pray,  we  fast,  we  give 
alms.  As  a  result  we  could  not  prevent  these  things 
amongst  others  without  becoming  unworthy  of  the 
protection  of  God. 

"  Know  therefore  that  all  this  is  the  absolute  and  exact 
truth,  that  we  are  of  noble  race,  that  a  lie  is  as  much  un- 
known amongst  us  as  it  is  with  you,  who  too  are  of  noble 
race. 

"  Come  to  us,  then,  without  fear  either  at  Timbuktu  or 
wherever  we  may  be.     The  truth  will  then  be  proved." 

We  spent  the  rest  of  the  day  chatting  with  the  Tuaregs 
and  distributing  presents.  Meanwhile  Baudry  went  with 
Digui  to  reconnoitre  the  river  below  Fafa. 

For  the  second  time  a  treaty,  or  rather  a  written  agree- 
ment, had  been  made  between  a  Tuareg  confederation  and 
the  French.  The  first  was  that  which  followed  or  resulted 
from  the  grand  journey  of  Duveyrier  in  Southern  Algeria 
and  amongst  the  Azgueur  Tuaregs,  after  which  a  mission, 
including  the  Prince  de  Polignac,  made  a  convention  with 
them  at  Rhadames. 

For  the  second  time  those  who  made  these  arrangements, 
and  who  dealt   directly  face   to  face   and  voice  to  voice 


198 


THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE    NIGER 


with  the  Tuareg  chiefs,  assert  that  they  found  them  loyal 
and  to  some  extent  even  conciliatory. 

In  speaking  of  the  Tuaregs  in  general,  I  shall  express 
myself  very  plainly  on  the  subject  of  these  treaties.  I  now 
beg  leave  to  break  off  the  narrative  of  our  voyage  for  a 
moment  to  try  and  make  better  known  this  interesting 
race,  which  has  perhaps  been  unjustly  calumniated. 


MM 

^ 

f:^ 

mt 

AN    AMKI    SHEFHKKU. 


CHAPTER   V 


THE   TUAREGS 


After  I  got  back  to  France  I  often  came  in  contact 
with  people  who,  as  the  expression  goes,  were  interested 
in  geographical  and  colonial  questions,  and  sometimes  I 
was  subjected  to  a  most  extraordinary  cross-examination. 
The  following  is  a  true  account  of  a  conversation  I  once 
had:— 

"  So  you  have  really  been  amongst  the  Tuaregs  ?  They 
are  savages,  are  they  not?     Are  they  cannibals?  " 

I  protested  that  even  during  the  worst  famines  they  had 
never  tasted  a  scrap  of  the  flesh  of  a  fellow  creature. 

"  But  at  least  they  are  cruel  ?  They  thieve  and  plunder, 
do  they  not  ?     They  have  neither  religion  nor  laws  ?  " 

I  really  do  not  feel  sure  of  having  convinced  a  single 
person  that  even  if  the  Tuaregs  have  their  faults,  that  they 
are  not  wanting  in  good  qualities,  and  that  their  social 
condition,  different  though  it  may  be  from  ours,  is  never- 
theless an  established  one,  that  it  would  be  alike  humane 

199 


20O  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

and  politic  to  turn  to  account  the  undoubtedly  good  quali- 
ties of  the  race,  and  to  endeavour  to  develop  those  qualities. 
It  would  surely  be  better  to  extenuate  their  faults,  and 
if  possible  correct  them,  than  to  propose — which,  by  the 
way,  is  of  course  impossible — the  extermination  en  masse 
of  a  great  branch  of  the  human  race,  occupying  a  district 
peculiarly  suitable  to  it,  and  where,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  the 
Tauregs  alone  can  live. 

So-called  truisms  and  ready-made  opinions  are  of  course 
very  convenient.  By  adopting  them  one  is  saved  the 
trouble  of  thinking  about,  still  more  of  going  to  see,  a  place 
for  oneself.  It  is  far  less  fatiguing,  and  within  the  power  of 
everybody.  It  would  certainly  be  perfectly  safe  to  wager 
ten  to  one  that  the  habit  of  taking  things  for  granted  is 
not  likely  to  go  out  in  France  in  a  hurry,  or  indeed  for 
that  matter  anywhere  else. 

Maybe  I  shall  only  in  my  turn  be  lifting  up  my  voice 
in  the  desert.  But  I  should  like  first  to  try  and  make 
those  who  are  willing  to  eschew  foregone  conclusions  better 
acquainted  with  the  truth. 

I  will  avoid  exaggeration,  and  also  too  much  generaliza- 
tion from  isolated  experiences.  On  the  one  hand,  as  I 
have  already  said,  the  Tuaregs  have  very  serious  faults — 
serious  for  us,  because  they  are  such  as  to  make  it  difficult 
for  them  to  accommodate  themselves  to  European  civiliza- 
tion, and  as  a  result  we  in  our  turn  find  influencing  them  a 
very  hard  task. 

Moreover,  when  I  have  proved  that  the  Tuaregs  have 
noble  qualities,  when  I  have  shown  them  actuated  by 
elevated  motives,  those  who  read  what  I  say  must  beware 
of  thinking  that  all  members  of  the  race  are  cut  on  the 
same  pattern. 

My  idea  is,  that  to  begin  with  we  have  only  to  inquire 
whether  in  their  natural  condition  the  Tuaregs  are  or  are 


THE   TUAREGS  201 

not  inferior  in  morality  to  the  other  native  races,  such 
as  the  Ammanites  of  Cochin-China  and  the  Kabyles  of 
Algeria,  with  whom  by  hook  or  by  crook  the  French  have 
managed  to  find  a  modus  vivendif 

To  a  question  of  that  kind  I  can  reply  at  once,  "  No,  no, 
the  Tuaregs  are  certainly  not  more  barbarous  than  other 
native  races  !  "  and  as  proof  I  can  quote  our  own  journey. 
My  readers  will  have  seen  how  the  Tuaregs  behaved  to  us. 
I  have  described  how  they  were  won  over  from  hostility  to 
friendship  ;  and  the  chapter  succeeding  this  I  shall  tell 
how  they  protected — even  saved  us.  And  what  happened 
to  us  might,  it  seems  to  me,  very  well  happen  to  others. 

Am  I  alone  in  my  opinion?  Did  not  Barth  owe  his 
very  existence  to  the  active  protection  of  the  Tademeket 
at  Timbuktu  and  the  Awellimiden  at  Tosaye  ? 

Then,  again,  Duveyrier  travelled  for  more  than  a  year  in 
the  Tuareg  districts,  guided  and  protected  by  Ikhenuakhen, 
chief  of  the  Azgueurs.  Not  only  had  he  nothing  to  fear 
from  them,  but  he  was  actually  saved  from  insult  even  from 
the  Senussis  and  the  tribes  which  had  risen  against  the 
French  under  the  leadership  of  Mohammed  ben  Abdallah. 

Our  case  was  therefore  no  isolated  one,  and  our  experi- 
ence would  no  doubt  be  repeated  if  it  were  decided  to 
enter  into  more  intimate  relations  with  the  Tuaregs.  We 
should  avoid  the  unreasonable  fear  of  finding  ourselves 
amongst  traitors  and  assassins,  but  at  the  same  time  take 
such  precautions  as  are  needed  in  the  Sudan,  where  there 
is  at  yet  no  police  force. 

There  are  indeed  few  if  any  races  who  can  pride  them- 
selves on  a  more  ancient  lineage  than  the  Tuaregs. 

Speaking  in  their  own  dialect  they  say,  "  We  are  I  mo- 
char,  Imuhar,  Imazighen,"  all  which  words  come  from  the 
same  Tamschenk  root — ahar  meaning  free,  independent, 
he  who  can  take,  who  can  pillage.     (We  shall   see   later 


202  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

what  the  Tuaregs  mean  by  pillage.)     In  the  Tamschenk 
dialect  the  word  ahar  also  signifies  lion. 

If  we  go  back  to  tlie  days  of  antiquity,  and  read  our 
Herodotus,  we  shall  find  that  he  speaks  of  the  Mazique 
tribe  as  dwelling  in  Libya.  There  are  Numidians  of 
Jugurtha  and  of  Maussinissa,  and  the  last  word  is  trans- 
lated almost  literally  into  the  dialect  now  employed,  mess 
u'eseji  meaning  their  master,  or  the  master  of  the  people, 
whilst  the  word  Mazique  is  evidently  the  Greek  form,  from 
which  is  derived  the  present  name  of  Imazighen. 

If  this  etymological  proof  is  not  sufficient,  there  exists 
another,  this  one  absolutely  irrefragable,  viz.  the  Tuareg 
writing. 

Here,  there,  and  everywhere  in  their  country,  now  cut 
with  a  knife  on  the  trunks  of  trees,  now  engraved  on  the 
rocks,  we  meet  with  inscriptions  in  peculiar  characters 
known  as  the  tifinar;  and  at  this  very  day  every  Tuareg 
who  has  to  wait,  or  who  suffers  from  enmd  for  any  reason, 
always  wiles  away  the  time,  whether  on  the  banks  of  the . 
Niger,  on  the  tablelands  of  Air,  or  on  the  summits  of  the 
volcanic  Atakor  n'Ahaggar,  by  writing  according  to  the 
best  of  his  skill  his  name  and  that  of  his  sweetheart  on  a 
rock  or  on  the  trunk  of  some  tree,  now  and  then  adding  a 
sentence  or  two,  or  in  rarer  cases  a  complete  poem. 

Now  the  letters  employed  in  these  tifinar^  ancient  or 
modern,  are  the  same,  or  very  nearly  the  same,  and  are 
therefore  identical  with  those  used  in  the  celebrated  Tugga 
inscription,  dating  from  the  time  when  Carthage  was  still  a 
thriving  city. 

Imochar,  of  which  the  singular  form  is  Amacher,  is  the 
name  by  which  the  Tuaregs  of  the  Niger  districts  generally 
speak  of  themselves.  They  are,  say  the  Arabs,  Tuaregs 
(singular  Targui) ;  Surgu,  say  the  Songhay ;  Burdane,  say 
the  Fulahs. 


THE   TUAREGS 


203 


Now  not  one  of  these  various  appellations  comes  from 
a  root  signifying  anything  evil,  and  a  Tuareg  would  be 
sure  to  use  one  or  the  other  according  to  the  dialect  he 
speaks  in  referring  to  his  people.  Some  have  pretended 
that  Tuareg  means  abandoned  by  God,  for  Arabs  are  very 
fond]  of  explaining  everything  by  puns  and  plays  upon 
words.      Yet   another   Arab   root    from    which    the   word 


TUAREGS. 


might  possibly  be  derived  is  one  signifying  nomads  or 
wanderers. 

Without  attempting  to  throw  fresh  light,  or  perhaps  to 
add  further  obscurity  to  the  question,  I  may  remark  here, 
that  a  certain  Berber  tribe  (we  shall  see  that  the  Tuaregs 
are  Berbers)  calls  itself  Tarka,  whilst  a  small  section  of  the 
Awellimiden  is  known  as  Tarkai-Tamut,  whilst  the  great 
Berber  conqueror  of  Spain  was  named  Tarik. 

It   seems   most   reasonable  to  suppose  that  the  Arabs 


204  THE    EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

gave  to  the  whole  race  the  name  of  one  of  its  tribes,  pro- 
bably that  with  which  they  were  brought  into  close  contact. 
Does  not  the  very  name  of  Berber,  characterizing  the  whole 
great  race,  including  not  only  the  Tuaregs,  but  the  Kabyles, 
the  Chambas,  and  others,  itself  come  from  that  of  but  one 
fraction — the  Berbers  or  Barbers  of  Morocco  ? 

During  the  Roman  decadence  the  Berbers,  including  the 
Tuaregs,  joined  the  flocks  of  Saint  Augustine  and  his  suc- 
cessors as  converts,  very  half-hearted  ones  probably,  and  then 
after  a  time  of  considerable  obscurity  in  their  history  came 
the  Mohammedan  conquest.  Rebellious  at  first,  the  Berbers 
ended  by  accepting  the  religion  of  Islam,  without  feeling 
any  more  enthusiasm  for  the  new  faith  than  they  had  done 
for  the  old.  As  for  the  Tuaregs,  it  is  said  it  was  not  neces- 
sary to  convert  them  more  than  fourteen  times ! 

Now  it  was  these  tribes  who  so  loathed  a  foreign  yoke, 
and  fled  further  and  further  into  the  desert  before  the 
invaders  of  their  country,  who  were  the  forefathers  of  the 
present  Imochars. 

With  regard  to  the  Awellimiden,  their  very  name  indi- 
cates their  origin  ;  they  are  the  descendants  {uld  lemta) 
of  the  Lemta  or  Lemtuma,  a  Sahara  tribe  which  con- 
quered and  finally  absorbed  all  its  neighbours  of  the 
same  stock. 

All  this  may  perhaps  be  called  actual  history.  Now  for 
some  of  the  legends  of  which  the  Awellimiden  Tuaregs 
are  so  fond.  Great  lovers  of  the  marvellous,  they  account 
for  their  origin  thus.  I  will  translate  as  literally  as  pos- 
sible what  one  of  them  actually  told  me : 

"  I  say  the  ancestors  of  the  Imochars  were  no  other  than 
genii. 

"  The  women  of  a  village  called  Alkori  went  one  night 
to  dance  in  the  bush,  and  there  they  fell  asleep. 

"Presently   they   were  surprised    by   some    genii,  who, 


THE   TUAREGS  205 

surrounding  them  before  they  were  fully  awake,  embraced 
them. 

"In  the  morning  the  women  returned  to  the  village. 

"  When  a  few  moons  had  risen  and  died  (that  is  to  say, 
when  a  few  months  had  passed),  the  men  of  the  village  saw 
that  the  women  were  about  to  become  mothers. 

"  The  chief  of  the  village  therefore  cried,  '  Seize  them 
and  put  them  to  death  ! ' 

"  But  the  cadi  replied,  '  No,  let  us  wait  until  the  children 
are  born.' 

"  So  they  waited  until  nine  moons  had  risen  and  died, 
when  each  woman  gave  birth  to  a  boy. 

"  Some  men  said,  '  Now  let  us  kill  the  mothers  and  the 
children.' 

"  The  cadi  replied,  '  No,  let  us  wait  till  they  are  older, 
none  but  God  can  create  a  soul.' 

"  So  they  waited. 

"  The  boys  grew,  and  as  time  went  on  fought  with  the 
other  children  of  the  village ;  and  they  made  for  them- 
selves weapons  of  iron,  swords  and  daggers,  such  as  had 
hitherto  been  unknown  in  the  country. 

"The  chiefs  then  said,  'If  we  do  not  put  them  to  death 
these  boys  will  become  our  masters.  Let  us  kill  them  at 
once,  before  they  come  to  their  full  strength.' 

"  To  which  every  one  replied,  '  Yes,  yes !  you  are 
right ! ' 

"  They  then  sent  a  messenger  to  call  the  uncles  of  the 
young  fellows,  and  said  to  them,  'What  we  wish  is  that  you 
should  kill  your  nephews,  and  if  you  do  not  we  will  kill 
you.' 

"  To  this  the  uncles  answered,  *  We  have  no  wish  but  to 
comply  with  your  demand,  but  we  do  not  know  how  to 
put  to  death  our  nearest  relations.  You  take  our  weapons 
and  do  with  them  what  you  will.' 


2o6  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

"  *  Very  well/  said  the  chief.  '  You  had  better  leave  the 
village  now  and  return  here  to-morrow  evening.' 

"  So  they  left ;  but  one  of  them  managed  to  warn  his 
sister  of  what  was  in  the  wind,  so  that  the  sons  of  the  genii 
knew  what  to  expect. 

"  They  therefore  ran  away,  walking  all  night  until  the 
dawn,  when  they  climbed  a  mountain. 

"In  the  morning  the  chief  of  the  village  beat  the  war- 
drum,  and  the  horses  were  saddled. 

"  The  people  followed  the  boys  till  they  came  to  the 
mountain  they  had  climbed,  when  they  lost  all  traces  of 
them. 

"  Meanwhile  one  of  the  children  had  said,  '  Shall  we  have 
to  fight  here  ?  ' 

"  '  Of  course  we  shall,'  replied  another  ;  and  they  were  just 
about  to  defy  the  enemy  with  shouts,  inviting  them  to  the 
combat,  when  a  second  boy  said,  '  It  would  be  better  to  go 
first  to  the  village  and  fight  those  that  are  left  behind 
there.' 

"  They  therefore  descended  the  mountain  by  the  other 
slope,  and  returned  to  the  village.  When  those  who  had 
remained  there  saw  them  coming  they  were  afraid,  and 
cried,  '  Alas  !  here  are  the  boys  coming  back  again.  They 
have  evidently  defeated  the  party  we  sent  out  against 
them.' 

"  One  man  went  out  to  parley  with  the  children.  They 
took  him  prisoner,  obtained  from  him  all  the  information 
they  wanted,  and  then  they  drew  their  swords  and  killed 
him. 

"  They  next  advanced  upon  the  village,  entered  it,  and 
even  went  up  to  the  hut  of  the  chief,  who  was  a  very  old 
man.  He  got  up  and  came  to  meet  them.  They  shouted, 
*  Thou  didst  mean  to  kill  us  and  our  mothers  with  us,  but 
now  it   is   thou  who   art   to   die ;   thy  children   and   thy 


THE   TUAREGS  207 

children's  children,  and  all  thy  nephews  are  dead.  It  is 
all  over.' 

"  They  flung  their  spears  at  him,  and  one  of  them  pierced 
his  heart,  coming  out  at  the  other  side.  Then  the  boys 
shouted,  '  Death  to  thee,  and  to  thy  mother,  thou  son  of  a 
harlot ! '  Next  they  burnt  the  village,  and  killed  all  the 
women  and  children.  Only  one  man  escaped.  He  ran  out 
to  the  army  and  told  the  troops  all  that  had  happened, 
asking  them,  '  Did  you  not  meet  the  children  ? '  '  No  ! ' 
'  Did  you  not  find  any  trace  of  them  ? '  *  We  did  ;  but 
we  lost  their  track  ! ' 

" '  Well,'  he  went  on  ;  *  go  to  the  village,  there  is  not  a 
man  left  alive,  not  even  a  woman,  not  even  a  child.  All, 
all  are  slain  ! ' 

"  They  put  spurs  to  their  horses  and  galloped  back  ;  they 
reached  the  village.  The  children  of  the  genii  came  out 
and  began  the  battle.  They  fought  from  ten  o'clock  in 
the  morning  till  sunset.  The  boys  were  victorious,  slew 
all  their  enemies,  and  took  possession  of  the  war-drum. 

"  Of  the  sons  of  the  genii  sixty  were  dead,  but  sixty 
survived,  and  became  the  fathers  of  the  Tuaregs." 

In  the  fifteenth  century  they  founded  a  great  city,  about 
281  miles  to  the  north  of  Gao,  which  they  called  Es  Suk, 
or  Tadamekka  (now  Tademeket),  where  they  probably  led 
a  half-nomad,  half-sedentary  life,  as  do  certain  tribes  or 
fractions  of  tribes  at  the  present  day  at  Rhat,  Tintellust, 
and  Sinder,  or  Gober.  At  the  same  period  the  Askia 
Empire  of  the  Songhay  negroes  was  at  the  zenith  of  its 
prosperity,  with  Gao,  or  Garo,  as  its  capital. 

An  Askia  went  to  attack  Es-Suk,  and  destroyed  it. 
Rather  than  submit  to  the  yoke  of  the  conqueror,  the 
Tuaregs  abandoned  their  capital,  and  fled  to  the  Ahaggar 
heights  or  the  plateaux  of  Air.  According  to  a  legend 
only  one  Es  Suk  escaped,  a  man  named  Mohamed  ben 


2o8 


THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 


Eddain,  who  founded  a  new  tribe,  that  of  the  present  Kel 
es  Suk,  by  giving  his  daughters  in  marriage  to  Arabs, 
sheriffs  of  the  tribe  of  El  Abaker,  descendants  of  the 
Ansars,  or  first  companions  of  the  Prophet. 

This  was  how  it  came  about  that  the  Kel  es  Suk  sup- 
plied the  so-called  Tuareg  marabouts,  and  explains  the 
fact  that  these  marabouts  have  abandoned  many  of  the 


A  GROUP  OF  TUAREGS. 


characteristic  customs  of  the  true  Tuaregs  in  favour  of  the 
strict  observance  of  the  Mussulman  law. 

Then  came  the  invasion  from  Morocco,  when  the  Armas, 
or  Romas,  as  the  soldiers  of  the  Sultan  of  Fez  were  called, 
thanks  to  their  firearms,  destroyed  the  armies  and  broke 
the  power  of  the  Songhay ;  but  these  Armas  were  not 
numerous  enough  to  hold  what  they  had  taken,  and  in  the 
course  of  a  few  generations  they  became  merged  in  the 
negro  race,  and  completely  lost  all  their  warlike  qualities. 


THE  TUAREGS  209 

Protected  against  invasion  by  the  arid  and  poverty- 
stricken  nature  of  the  districts  they  inhabit,  the  Tuaregs, 
on  the  other  hand,  inured  to  hardship,  gradually  became 
stronger,  nobler,  and  more  able  to  hold  their  own,  develop- 
ing all  the  virtues  of  the  true  warrior.  They  now  in  their 
turn  conquered  their  old  enemies  the  Songhay,  who,  though 
aided  by  the  Armas,  descended  from  the  old  invaders  from 
Morocco,  were  powerless  to  resist  them.  The  negroes  were 
defeated  and  reduced  to  slavery.  Since  then  the  Tuaregs 
have  been  the  dominant  race  on  the  banks  of  the  Niger, 
from  Timbuktu  almost  as  far  south  as  Say. 

The  history  of  the  Tuaregs  has  been  that  of  one  long 
series  of  struggles  between  the  various  tribes,  in  which  the 
Awellimiden  finally  gained  the  ascendency  they  still  main- 
tain. I  have  already  related  how  they  resisted  the  Fulah 
invasion,  and  later  that  of  the  Toucouleurs. 

The  taking  of  Timbuktu  by  the  French  resulted  in  the 
crushing  of  the  semi-independent  fraction  of  the  Tuareg 
race  known  as  the  Tenguereguif,  or  the  Kel  Temulai,  and 
what  I  have  said  about  the  Igwadaren,  will  be  remembered. 
As  for  the  Awellimiden,  their  power  remained  undis- 
turbed, and  I  do  not  think  I  am  far  wrong  in  saying,  that 
should  they  be  threatened  they  could  put  20,000  men,  one- 
quarter  of  them  mounted,  in  the  field  at  once. 

When  we  remember  the  courage  of  the  Tuaregs,  and 
take  into  account  the  immense  difficulty  French  troops 
would  have  to  contend  with  in  crossing  the  districts  belong- 
ing to  the  enemy,  it  is  impossible  to  help  realizing  that 
these  warriors  are  far  from  being  a  negligible  quantity? 
and  that  the  conquest  of  their  land  would  cost  the  invader 
dear. 

And  would  it  be  to  the  interest  of  France  to  possess  the 
districts  now  inhabited  by  the  Tuaregs  ?  To  this  query  I 
reply  emphatically  and  without  hesitation,  No ! 


2IO  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

There  are  in  the  Sudan  two  totally  different  kinds  of 
territory,  which  I  shall  characterize  as  those  fitted  for  the 
occupation  of  sedentary  settlers,  and  those  suitable  only  to 
nomadic  tribes. 

The  former  are  the  banks  of  streams  and  rivers,  such  as 
the  French  Sudan  between  Kayes  and  Bamako,  with  the 
whole  reach  of  the  Niger  district  up  to  Timbuktu.  In 
these  lands  gutta-percha  and  cotton  can  be  readily  grown. 
They  are  inhabited  by  negroes,  and  it  is  indispensable  if  we 
are  to  trade  in  security  that  we  should  have  a  preponderate 
if  not  exclusive  territorial  influence. 

In  what  I  call  the  nomad  lands,  on  the  other  hand,  on 
the  right  of  the  Senegal,  on  the  Niger  beyond  Timbuktu 
(if  we  except  the  actual  banks  of  the  river),  we  shall  find 
that  the  chief  articles  of  export  are  gum  and  the  products 
of  flocks  of  sheep,  which  are  indeed  the  only  things  the 
nomad  tribes  have  to  offer  to  our  traders. 

It  is  absolutely  useless  to  attempt  to  impose  on  these 
people  a  yoke  against  which  they  would  never  cease  to 
rebel,  and  which,  moreover,  they  would  have  the  power  as 
well  as  the  will  to  throw  off.  It  is  much  better  to  give 
them  what  are  called  enclaves^  or  reserves,  such  as  the 
Americans  assign  to  the  Redskins.  Of  course  we  should 
always  have  to  guard  against  pillaging  raids  from  these 
enclaves  ;  but  I  am  quite  convinced,  that  when  the  Tuaregs 
once  realize  that  their  liberty  and  their  customs  will  be 
respected,  they  will  willingly  accept  the  modus  vivendi 
suggested,  especially  if  they  find  that  they  can  sell  their 
produce  to  our  traders  to  advantage,  thus  gaining  means 
for  the  amelioration  of  their  present  condition. 

How  much  better  would  it  be  then,  instead  of  condemn- 
ing the  Tuareg  race  as  a  whole,  because  of  certain  precon- 
ceived prejudices,  if  we  were  to  set  to  work  to  study  them, 
to  gauge  their  real   moral  worth,  and  to   make  the  best 


THE   TUAREGS 


211 


arrangement  possible  with  them  for  the  benefit  of  all 
concerned.  Faults,  many  faults,  of  course  they  all  have. 
They  are  proud,  they  are  fierce,  they  rob,  and  they  beg. 
One  of  their  peculiarities  makes  it  very  difficult  to  deal 
with  them — they  are  very  ready  to  take  offence.  They  are, 
moreover,  in  constant  dread  of  being  subjected  to  servitude, 
and   fear   invasion   above  all   things.     All   this  of  course 


leads  them  to  listen  eagerly  to  the  calumnies  our  enemies 
especially  the  marabouts,  are  always  ready  to  circulate. 

Side  by  side  with  all  this,  however,  many  noble  virtues 
must  also  be  placed  to  the  credit  of  the  Tuaregs  Their 
courage  is  proverbial,  the  defence  of  a  guest  is  with  them 
as  with  the  Arabs  a  positive  religion,  whilst  their  steadfast- 
ness of  character  is  well  known,  and  their  powers  of 
endurance  are  absolutely  indispensable  to  their  very  exist- 
ence.    Lastly, — and    here   I    know   what   I   say   is   quite 


212  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

contrary  to  the  generally-received  opinion, — the  Tuareg  is 
faithful  to  his  promises  and  hates  petty  theft. 

"  Never  promise  more  than  half  what  you  can  perform," 
says  a  Tuareg  proverb,  and  even  in  the  opinion  of  their 
enemies  this  is  no  idle  boast.  Our  own  adventures  are  a 
striking  proof  of  this. 

As  for  what  I  have  said  about  thieving,  I  can  testify 
that  all  the  time  we  were  amongst  the  Tuaregs  not  the 
very  smallest  larceny  was  committed  by  them,  although 
all  manner  of  very  tempting  articles,  such  as  various  stuffs, 
beads,  looking-glasses,  knives,  etc.,  were  lying  about  in  our 
boats,  on  deck,  and  in  our  cabins.  Nothing  could  have 
been  easier  than  for  our  Tuareg  visitors  to  run  off  with  a 
few  odds  and  ends,  and  if  I  had  seen  any  one  take  any- 
thing I  should  probably  have  said  nothing,  for  fear  of  a 
dispute  leading  to  a  rupture. 

At  the  sight  of  these  riches  of  ours,  which  surpassed 
anything  they  had  ever  seen  before,  the  eyes  of  our  guests 
would  gleam  with  desire  for  their  possession,  and  they 
would  ask  for  things,  keep  on  begging  for  them  without 
ceasing,  but  they  would  not  take  anything  without  leave. 
I  often  had  hard  work  to  resist  their  importunity,  but,  for 
all  that,  not  one  of  them  ever  appropriated  a  single  object 
however  small. 

I  said,  it  is  true,  a  few  pages  back  that  the  Tuaregs  were 
pillagers,  and  the  reader  may  very  well  ask  how  they  could 
be  pillagers  yet  not  thieves.  We  must,  however,  judge 
people  by  their  own  consciences,  not  by  the  ideas  current 
amongst  ourselves.  Now  to  pillage  and  to  thieve  are  two 
essentially  different  things  amongst  the  Tuaregs. 

All  nomads  are  pillagers,  and  as  a  matter  of  fact  war 
with  them  is  generally  simply  a  pillaging  expedition. 
Migrations  are  constantly  taking  place  as  a  very  necessity 
of  their  mode  of  life,  and  as  a  result  castes  belli  as  constantly 


THE   TUAREGS  213 

arise.  We  must,  however,  even  in  such  cases  as  these,  do 
the  Tuaregs  the  justice  to  add  that  they  generally  first 
make  an  appeal  to  diplomacy.  In  meetings  known  amongst 
them  as  myiad,  the  question  at  issue  is  discussed,  chiefly  by 
the  most  influential  marabouts,  and  they  have  recourse  to 
arms  only  if  conciliation  does  not  answer. 

Even  then  it  is  all  fair  and  open  warfare.  The  warriors 
even  challenge  each  other  as  in  a  tournament  to  single 
combat.  There  are  razzi  too,  no  doubt,  when  the  Tuaregs 
make  a  descent  on  the  enemy's  camp  and  pillage  it,  carry- 
ing off  the  flocks  and  herds  if  possible,  and  by  thus 
depriving  them  of  the  means  of  subsistence,  compelling 
them  to  sue  for  peace. 

There  is  little  foundation  for  the  charge  brought  against 
the  Tuaregs  of  pillaging  caravans,  they  respect  them  when 
the  right  of  passage  has  been  paid  for.  This  payment  is  a 
very  just  one,  guaranteeing  the  protection  of  the  tribe 
against  the  gentlemen  of  the  road,  for  in  the  Sudan,  as  in 
Italy,  there  are  brigands,  but  they  are  not  Tuaregs. 

On  the  other  hand,  if  traders,  thinking  themselves  strong 
enough  to  force  a  passage,  refuse  to  pay  the  tribute  de- 
manded, the  caravan  becomes  the  lawful  prize  of  any  one 
who  chooses  to  attack  it. 

Is  this  very  different  to  what  happens  amongst  Europeans  ? 
Suppose,  for  instance,  that  we  refuse  to  pay  custom  and 
octroi  dues,  the  officials  will  seize  the  contraband  goods 
without  hesitation,  and  we  shall  have  to  pay  the  legal  fine, 
or  even,  perhaps,  go  to  prison,  and  who  will  think  us  un- 
fairly treated  ?  Although  they  have  no  officers  in  uniform 
in  their  service,  the  Tuaregs  are  quite  within  their  rights  in 
demanding  payment  for  right  of  way.  But  pillage  mer- 
chandise when  that  payment  has  been  made  they  never 
do.  Did  they  do  so,  all  trade  would  be  simply  impossible 
in  the  Sudan,  and  when  they  are  reproached  on  the  subject 


214  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

they  reply — "  Our  irezz  aodeni  akus  wa  deritett  (we  do  not 
break  the  bowl  from  which  we  eat)." 

When  he  has  to  do  with  Christians,  infidels,  or,  as  he 
calls  them,  Kaffirs,  the  Tuareg  is  perhaps  not  quite  so 
jealous  of  his  promises  and  of  keeping  faith  exactly ;  but 
this  is  really  chiefly  the  fault  of  the  marabouts,  who  tell 
them  that  they  are  not  bound  where  infidels  are  concerned, 
and  quote  passages  taken,  or  said  to  be  taken,  from  the 
Koran  to  prove  it. 

Then,  again,  there  is  something  spirited  and  noble  about 
pillaging,  for  it  often  means  to  expose  oneself  to  danger, 
and  real  courage  is  needed  for  that.  It  is  not  so  very  long 
since  our  ancestors  went  to  do  much  the  same  thing  in 
Sicily  and  in  Palestine,  and  there  was  not  much  more 
excuse  for  them  than  for  the  Tuaregs. 

Thieving  and  petty  larceny  are  very  different  from 
pillaging,  and  of  them  the  Tuareg  has  perhaps  a  greater 
horror  than  we  Europeans. 

A  careful  study  of  Tuareg  society  will  reveal  a  very 
strong  resemblance  between  it  and  that  of  Europe  in  the 
Middle  Ages.  Truth  to  tell,  except  that  he  has  no  strong 
isolated  castles,  a  Tuareg  surrounded  by  his  tribe,  or  a 
fraction  of  that  tribe,  engaged  in  one  long  struggle  to 
defend  himself,  or  absorbed  in  attacking  some  chief,  brutal 
and  violent,  but  chivalrous,  respecting  the  honour  of  women, 
and  curbing  his  wild  passions  where  they  are  concerned, 
his  reverence  for  them  inspiring  his  most  courageous  efforts, 
pillaging  the  traders  who  will  not  submit  to  the  prescribed 
tribute,  but  protecting  those  who  have  paid  their  toll,  has  a 
soul  not  so  very  different,  after  all,  from  that  of  the  Castellan 
de  Coucy  of  the  twelfth  century,  or  of  the  heroes  he  celebrates 
in  his  poems. 

As  was  the  population  in  Europe  in  mediaeval  times,  the 
Tuaregs   are   divided    into  two   very   distinct  classes,  the 


THE   TUAREGS  215 

Ihaggaren  and  the  vnrads,  corresponding  to  the  old  feudal 
chiefs  and  vassals. 

What  originally  caused  this  broad  line  of  demarcation 
between  the  two  ?  Many  different  things,  no  doubt.  Certain 
conquered  tribes  became  the  imrads  of  those  who  had 
defeated  them.  Or  again,  some  tribes  may  have  submitted 
for  the  sake  of  being  allowed  to  settle  peacefully  down  on 
lands  belonging  to  Ihaggaren.  Whatever  may  have  been 
the  reason,  however,  as  time  went  on  the  Ihaggaren^ 
became  the  owners  of  flocks  and  herds,  whilst  the  imrads 
never  possessed  any  property  of  their  own,  but  looked 
after  that  of  their  masters. 

The  former  had  to  fight  and  to  protect  their  imrads, 
ownership  of  property  giving  them  the  right  to  demand 
tribute ;  the  latter  could  originally  only  hold  their  fiefs  at 
the  will  of  their  suzerains,  but  after  many  generations  had 
passed  away  their  tenure  became  so  established  a  thing 
that  rent  was  all  which  could  be  demanded.  At  the 
present  day  it  sometimes  happens  that  the  imrads  are 
richer,  better  dressed,  and  even  more  influential  than  the 
Ihaggarens. 

When  a  whole  tribe  is  seriously  threatened,  and  the 
nobles  are  not  sufficiently  strong  to  defend  themselves,  the 
tenants  are  armed  just  as  they  used  to  be  in  olden  times  in 
Europe,  and  these  tenants  fight  marvellously  well.  At  the 
same  time,  except  in  such  emergencies,  it  is  the  business  of 
the  Ihaggarens  to  defend  the  imrads. 

In  the  service  of  the  imrads  are  a  class  of  negro  slaves 
known  as  the  Belle  or  Bellates,  who  have  as  a  rule  been 
attached  to  the  same  family  for  many  generations.  The 
attachment  these  slaves  have  for  their  Tuareg  masters  is 
really  wonderful,  and  a  positive  proof  that  they  are  well 
treated  by  them.     In  the  struggle  which  took  place  round 

^  The  singular  of  Ihaggaren  is  Ahaggar^  and  of  Imrad^  Auirid. 


2i6  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

about  Timbuktu- between  the  French  and  the  various  tribes 
who  resisted  the  foreign  occupation,  Bellates  were  often 
taken  prisoners,  but  however  kind  our  treatment  of  them, 
in  spite  of  promises  of  complete  Hberty  on  the  one  con- 
dition that  they  would  remain  with  us,  we  were  not  able  to 
keep  a  single  one.  They  all  ran  away  to  rejoin  their  old 
masters.  In  warlike  expeditions  they  form  a  very  useful 
supplement  to  the  Tuareg  infantry,  and  they  are  quite  as 
brave  as  are  the  free  soldiers. 

One  peculiar  fact  which  speaks  well  for  the  Tuareg 
character  is,  that  though  these  warriors  own  hereditary 
slaves  they  never  sell  or  buy  them.  Before  the  French 
arrived  at  Timbuktu  that  town  was  the  centre  of  the  slave 
trade,  whence  captives  were  sent  to  Tripoli  on  the  one 
hand  and  to  Morocco  on  the  other.  The  convoys  with  the 
melancholy  processions  of  slaves  were  generally  under  the 
leadership  of  traders  from  Mosi,  who  brought  the  unhappy 
captives  to  the  town  and  sold  them  to  merchants  from 
Morocco  or  Tuat. 

We  have  already  seen,  and  we  shall  have  again  occasion 
to  remark,  that  the  whole  negro  population  of  the  Niger 
districts  is  in  a  similar  state  of  servitude  with  regard  to  the 
Tuaregs,  a  fact  which  will  explain  how  it  is  that  no 
Songhay  or  Arma  would  dream  of  disputing  the  orders  of 
the  chiefs,  or  offering  the  very  slightest  resistance  to  their 
demands. 

There  would  therefore  be  absolutely  nothing  to  prevent 
a  Tuareg  who  should  chance  to  be  in  want  of  money  or  of 
clothes  to  go  and  seize  one  or  more  of  the  Gabibi,  as  the 
negroes  of  the  villages  are  called,  and  sell  him  or  them  for 
slaves  at  Timbuktu.  In  fact,  it  would  be  quite  as  simple 
a  matter  as  to  choose  an  ox  out  of  his  own  herds  and  send 
it  to  market.  Yet  never  has  a  Tuareg  been  known  to  do 
such  a  thing.    I  have  made  sure  of  this  by  cross-questioning 


THE  TUAREGS  217 

many  negroes,  and  their  answers  have  always   been   the 
same. 

At  the  very  bottom  rung  of  the  social  ladder  we  find  the 
negroes  of  the  riverside  districts,  the  Songhay  and  the 
Armas.  They  cultivate  millet,  rice,  and  tobacco.  When 
their  masters  are  at  daggers  drawn  with  each  other,  as 
was  the  case  when  we  were  amongst  the  Igwadaren,  they 
have  a  good  deal  to  complain  of,  for  they  are,  as  it  were, 
between  two  fires,  and  their  position  is  anything  but 
enviable.  Amongst  the  Awellimiden,  however,  their  con- 
dition seems  to  be  much  happier,  and  when  they  have 
once  paid  their  dues  they  are  left  in  peace,  great  chiefs 
such  as  Madidu  protecting  them  against  the  exactions  of 
the  less  powerful  Tuaregs. 

I  confess  I  do  not  feel  any  very  special  pity  for  them. 
They  are  quite  as  numerous  as  the  Tuaregs,  quite  as  well 
armed,  and  all  they  need  to  recover  their  independence  is 
a  little  courage.  If,  moreover,  they  cared  to  study  the 
history  of  the  past,  they  would  not  fail  to  remark  that  their 
Songhay  ancestors  brought  their  doom  upon  them  when 
they  destroyed  Es  Suk,  and  forced  the  Tuaregs  to  lead 
their  present  wandering  life. 

As  for  the  project  of  pressing  the  negroes  into  the  service 
for  the  suppression  of  the  Tuaregs,  it  is  but  a  Utopian  idea, 
and  that  a  very  dangerous  one,  for  the  Songhay  race  is  too 
debased  by  its  three  centuries  of  servitude  to  have  any  real 
stamina  left. 

I  need  scarcely  point  out  the  great  mistake  implied  in 
the  suggestion :  We  ought  to  favour  the  black  at  the 
expense  of  the  Tuaregs,  because  the  former  are  producers 
as  tillers  of  the  soil,  and  the  latter  are  useless  idlers,  for  the 
Tuareg  is  as  hard  a  worker  as  the  negro ;  he  works  in  a 
different  direction,  that  is  all — breeding  flocks  and  herds* 
instead  of  growing  cereals.     When  the  means  of  transport 


2i8  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

are  sufficient  for  it  to  be  easy  to  get  to  and  from  Timbuktu, 
it  will  be  the  Tuareg,  whose  camels  will  carry  the  gum 
harvest  into  the  town,  it  will  be  he  who  will  sell  skins  and 
wool ;  in  fact,  he  will  turn  out  to  be  the  greater  producer 
of  the  two  races  after  all. 

The  Tuaregs  have  been  accused  of  being  cruel,  but  this 
is  another  grave  error.  They  alone  perhaps  of  all  African 
races  do  not  kill  their  prisoners  after  a  battle.  One  must 
have  been  present  at  the  taking  of  a  village  by  negroes  to 
realize  the  awful  butchery  with  which  the  victory  ends. 
Everybody  not  fit  to  be  sold  as  a  slave  is  put  to  the  sword. 
The  throats  of  the  old  men  are  cut,  and  little  children  too 
young  to  walk  have  their  heads  smashed  against  stones. 
Tuaregs,  on  the  other  hand,  are  quite  incapable  of  such 
atrocities.  When  we  passed  Sinder,  Boker  Wandieidu, 
chief  of  the  Logamaten,  had  more  than  two  hundred  Tou- 
couleur  prisoners  in  his  camp,  who  had  been  taken  in  war 
two  years  before,  and  he  was  feeding  and  looking  after 
them  all.  After  the  fatal  battle  with  the  Tacubaos,  in  which 
Colonel  Bonnier  was  killed,  the  two  officers  who  alone 
escaped  from  the  scene  of  the  combat,  Captains  Regard 
and  Nigotte,  fled  in  different  directions.  Nigotte  reached 
Timbuktu,  and  was  saved,  but  Regard  went  westwards, 
and  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  negroes  of  the  Dongoi 
villages,  who  took  him  to  the  Tenguereguif  Tuaregs.  In 
spite,  however,  of  the  fact  that  the  excitement  of  the  battle 
had  scarcely  subsided,  these  Tuaregs  would  not  themselves 
slay  the  unfortunate  Frenchman.  "  Do  with  him  what  you 
will,"  they  said  ;  and  the  negroes  killed  him. 

Moreover,  it  has  been  said  that  the  Tuaregs  are  fanatics, 
but  I  have  never  seen  them  prostrate  themselves  or  fast. 
It  is,  however,  unfortunately  quite  true  that  the  marabouts 
exercise  a  great  influence  over  them  ;  but  it  is  the  kind  of 
ascendency  that   clever   people   always    obtain    over   big 


THE   TUAREGS  219 

children,  such  as  the  Tuaregs  are,  and  such  as  sorcerers  get 
over  the  superstitious.  "  You  are  Christians,  and  we  ought 
not  to  have  anything  to  do  with  infidels,"  Yunes  said  to 
us  at  Tosaye.  A  good  excuse,  and  one  that  he  could  not 
help  laughing  at  himself.  Yunes,  I  am  glad  to  say,  never 
really  followed  the  precepts  of  Islam  any  more  than  did 
any  of  his  fellow-countrymen. 

How  does  it  come  about  that,  left  to  themselves,  with 
scarcely  any  contact  with  more  advanced  civilizations,  con- 
stantly exposed  to  the  malevolent  influence  of  Mahommed- 
anism,  and  by  their  very  nature  peculiarly  susceptible  to 
the  temptations  which  appeal  to  the  violently  disposed,  the 
Tuaregs  have  yet  managed  to  keep  their  high  moral 
character.  Once  more  we  find  a  parallel  for  their  position 
in  the  Middle  Ages.  It  is  the  reverence  they  feel  for 
women,  to  whose  gentler  influence  they  yield,  which  has 
been  their  salvation.  Just  as  the  lady  of  the  feudal  chief, 
brutal  and  hot-tempered,  coarse  and  savage  though  he 
often  was,  knew  how  to  soothe  his  worst  passions,  and  to 
inspire  him  with  an  ambition  to  excel  in  those  noble  tasks 
of  which  she  herself  was  to  be  the  reward,  so  does  the 
Tuareg  woman  in  her  tent,  chanting  praises  of  the  mighty 
deeds  of  the  lord  of  her  heart,  rouse  in  that  lord  all  chival- 
rous instincts,  and  inspire  him  with  a  love  for  all  that  is 
best  and  highest  in  life  on  earth. 

The  Tuareg — and  here  he  differs  essentially  from  all 
Mahommedans — takes  only  one  wife,  but  she  is  literally 
his  better  half.  Moreover,  a  woman  is  free  to  choose  her 
own  husband.  During  our  stay  at  Say,  we  were  told  that 
Reichala,  daughter  of  Madidu,  was  about  to  marry  the  son 
of  El-Yacin,  one  of  the  chiefs  of  the  most  powerful  tribe 
of  the  Confederation.  I  sent  some  presents  on  this  joyful 
occasion.  A  month  later  an  envoy  from  the  chief  of  the 
Awellimiden  told  us  that  the  young  lady,  in  spite  of  all  her 


220 


THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 


parents  could  do,  had  refused  her  fiance.  Her  will  was 
respected,  and  even  the  Amenokal  himself  would  not  have 
forced  her  to  comply. 

Her  future  husband  once  chosen,  a  Tuareg  girl  has  perfect 
liberty  to  see  him  when  she  likes,  and  will  sometimes  travel 


A   TUAREG   WOMAN. 


on  her  camel  more  than  fifty  miles  to  pay  him  a  visit.  The 
Tuaregs  themselves  say  that  no  bad  results  ensue  ;  but  there 
are  three  words  for  bastard  in  the  Tamschek  language,  and 
if  it  be  true  that  the  abundance  of  expressions  for  a  thing 
in  any  tongue  proves  the  prevalence  of  that  thing,  we  shall 
know  what  to  think.  However,  when  a  Tuareg  woman  is 
married,  however  free  and  easy  she  may  have  been  before- 


THE  TUAREGS  221 

hand,  she  is  a  model  of  discreet  behaviour.  The  Tuaregs  do 
not  brook  any  tampering  with  their  honour,  and  a  deceived 
husband  will  never  hesitate  to  wash  out  his  shame  in  blood. 

Still  the  Tuareg  woman  is  allowed  to  have  friends  of  the 
opposite  sex,  and,  as  in  the  days  of  the  Troubadours,  her 
praises  are  sung  in  many  a  charming  rondeau.  These 
male  friends,  who  correspond  to  the  Italian  cicisbeos,  draw 
their  swords  in  honour  of  the  fair  lady  of  their  choice,  and 
shout  her  name  as  a  war-cry  as  they  fling  themselves  upon 
the  foe  in  the  clash  of  combat.  The  woman,  in  her  turn, 
celebrates  the  exploits  of  her  cicisbeo  in  verse,  and  she 
adorns  his  leather  shield  and  the  scabbard  of  his  sword  with 
the  work  of  her  hands.  All,  however,  ends  there,  and  we 
are  irresistibly  reminded  of  Petrarch's  songs  in  honour  of 
his  Laura  when  she  was  a  stout,  middle-aged  woman,  the 
mother  of  seven  children. 

Alas !  we  must  tell  the  whole  truth,  and  this  reference 
to  Petrarch  brings  me  back  to  my  subject :  Tuareg  women 
in  general.  What  a  pity  that  after  all  I  have  said  about 
their  lofty  spirit,  their  manners,  and  the  good  influence 
they  exercise,  I  am  obliged  to  own  that  I  cannot  admire 
their  figure,  which  resembles  that  of  a  Durham  cow  ready 
for  a  prize  show,  or  of  a  moulting  goose  more  than  anything 
else. 

Their  faces  are  pleasing,  sometimes  even  very  pretty. 
Delicate  features,  big  eyes  full  of  expression,  and  very  long 
black  hair  parted  in  the  middle  and  plaited  together  at  the 
back  of  the  head,  give  them  a  charming  appearance,  but 
they  have  absolutely  no  figures,  they  are  just  one  mass  of 
fat ;  their  arms  are  like  the  jellies  exposed  for  sale  in  pork- 
butchers'  shops,  and  the  less  said  about  the  rest  of  their 
bodies  the  better. 

In  striking  contrast  to  their  wives,  Tuareg  warriors  are 
generally  very  lean,  and  their  figures  are  well  knit.     Their 


222  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

limbs  are  very  finely  moulded,  and  they  walk  with  a  slow 
dignity  all  their  own,  raising  their  feet  rather  high  from 
the  ground  much  as  an  ostrich  does,  a  mode  of  progression 
which  is  probably  the  reason  for  their  habit  of  leaning  on 
their  spears  as  they  advance. 

The  most  striking  peculiarity  of  the  Tuareg  costume  is 
the  veil,  called  the  litham  in  Arabic,  and  the  tagelmust  in 
Tamschek,  which  covers  the  face,  leaving  only  the  eyes 
visible.  It  consists  of  a  band  of  stuff,  generally  black, 
which  goes  round  the  head  like  a  turban  to  begin  with,  and 
then  passes  over  the  mouth  and  nose,  coming  round  a 
third  time  across  the  forehead,  and  looking  rather  like  a 
visor. 

The  tribe  to  which  a  Tuareg  belongs  is  shown  by  his 
tagelmust.  A  well-bred  Amacher  never  takes  it  off,  not 
even  to  eat  or  sleep,  and  the  negroes  of  the  riverside  have 
adopted  the  custom  in  imitation  of  their  masters.  Their 
veils  are,  however,  generally  white,  as  are  also  those  of 
Tuaregs  who  are  not  rich  enough  to  buy  the  lustrous  black 
stuffs  from  Haussa,  used  by  the  well-to-do. 

The  veil  seems  to  have  been  originally  adopted  as 
part  of  the  Tuareg  costume  on  hygienic  grounds,  for  in  the 
long  wanderings  of  the  tribes  amongst  the  sand  of  the 
deserts  it  protects  the  respiratory  organs.  By  degrees, 
however,  this  tagelmust  grew  to  be  considered  a  sign  of  the 
modesty  of  the  wearer,  and  to  show  the  face  became  a 
breach  of  etiquette. 

Strange  to  say,  the  women  do  not  hide  their  faces,  a  very 
noteworthy  difference  this  between  Mahommedans,  whose 
females  are  always  veiled,  and  Tuaregs,  amongst  whom  it 
is  the  men  who  thus  disguise  their  features.  To  make  up 
for  this,  however,  if  a  Tuareg  woman  wishes  to  show  great 
respect  to  any  one  she  is  talking  to,  she  covers  her  mouth 
with  a  piece  of  her  robe. 


THE   TUAREGS 


223 


The  Tuaregs  themselves  tell  the  following  legend — they 
have  one  for  every  occasion — to  explain  this  peculiarity  of 
their  costume. 

"  In  olden  times  women  used  to  keep  their  faces  veiled 
as  do  the  Mahommedans,  whilst  men  left  their  faces  un- 


A   TUAREG   IN   HIS   NATIONAL   COSTUME. 


covered  ;  but  one  day  the  enemy  surprised  a  camp  of  our 
ancestors.  The  attack  was  so  sudden  and  so  utterly  un- 
expected that  the  Tuaregs  were  seized  with  panic  and  fled, 
leaving  behind  them  their  families  and  their  property. 
They  flung  down  their  arms,  making  no  effort  to  defend 
themselves,  but  trusting  for  escape  entirely  to  the  fleetness 
of  their  legs. 


224  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

"  The  women,  however,  picked  up  the  swords,  the  spears, 
and  the  daggers,  with  which  they  faced  the  enemy  and 
drove  them  off. 

"From  that  day,  to  show  their  admiration  for  the 
conduct  of  their  wives,  and  their  shame  for  their  -  own 
cowardice,  the  men  wore  the  veil  and  the  women  left  their 
features  exposed  to  view." 

In  addition  to  the  veil  the  Tuaregs  wear  a  tunic  of 
lustrous  black  cotton,  which  falls  nearly  to  the  ankles,  and 
in  the  front  of  which  is  a  huge  pocket. 

The  Tuareg  who  wishes  to  be  very  "  chic,"  to  use  the 
last  slang  expression  in  vogue  in  France  and  England, 
has  this  pocket  made  of  red  material ;  but  whatever  the 
colour  it  is  always  of  huge  size.  It  is  difficult  to  imagine 
what  quantities  of  things  that  pocket  will  hold.  In  it  a 
Tuareg  can  stow  away  yards  upon  yards  of  stuff,  any 
amount  of  beads,  whole  coverlets,  etc.,  etc. ;  and  to  see  him 
dispose  of  everything  in  such  a  limited  space,  reminds  one 
of  the  conjurors  who  put  a  cannon  ball,  a  cage  full  of  birds, 
and  a  bowl  with  gold  fish  all  into  a  single  nut. 

Long  wide  trousers  envelope  the  lower  part  of  the  body, 
and  are  drawn  in  at  the  waist  with  running  strings,  whilst 
sandals  made  of  ox  or  antelope  hide  protect  the  feet  from 
the  burning  heat  of  the  sun-parched  sand. 

The  costume  is  completed  by  quantities  of  little  leather 
sachets,  containing  amulets,  hung  round  the  neck  on  thin 
cords.  These  amulets  protect  their  wearer  from  all  evil 
influences,  and  secure  to  him  all  the  good  things  his  heart 
desires. 

The  weapons  of  a  Tuareg  are  all  what  the  French  call 
armes  blanches,  that  is  to  say,  swords,  spears,  daggers,  etc., 
and  it  is  rare  indeed  for  any  of  them  to  own  firearms. 
Even  if  they  have  them  they  will  not  use  them  unless  they 
are  positively  driven  to  do  so.     They  have  a  kind  of  super- 


THE   TUAREGS  225 

stitious  dread,  and  at  the  same  time  a  contempt  for  guns. 
"They  are  not  weapons  worthy  of  a  man,"  say  these 
Tuaregs,  who  admit  that  their  women  excel  them  in  courage. 

The  national  weapon  par  excellence  is  the  so-called 
tellak  or  short  dagger,  the  sheath  of  which  is  fastened  to 
the  left  wrist  with  a  leather  armlet.  The.  hilt  of  this  tellak 
is  of  the  shape  of  a  cross,  and  the  wearer  is  not  at  all 
inconvenienced  by  wearing  it.  He  generally  rests  his 
hand  on  the  hilt  when  he  is  not  using  the  weapon.  If  he 
is  threatened  with  any  danger,  the  dagger  is  drawn  from 
the  sheath  with  the  right  hand  in  an  instant. 

The  spear  or  lance  is  generally  made  entirely  of  iron, 
except  for  certain  copper  ornaments ;  a  few,  however,  have 
wooden  handles,  though  the  actual  weapon  is  of  metal. 
The  Ihaggaren  alone  have  the  right  of  wearing  the  iron 
spear,  and  the  so-called  takuba  or  sword  worn  at  the  side, 
suspended  on  a  cotton  or  silk  cord. 

According  to  circumstances,  the  spear  is  used  as  a 
missile  or  as  a  lance.  Mounted  Tuaregs  use  it  much  as 
European  lancers  do,  but  when  they  are  fighting  on  foot, 
they  fling  it  with  marvellous  skill,  and  will  rarely  miss  an 
enemy  at  a  distance  as  great  as  fifty  feet.  The  red  and 
green  leather  shields  of  the  Tuaregs  are  often  decorated 
with  considerable  taste,  and  we  must  not  forget  to  mention 
the  ahabeg,  which  is  alike  a  weapon  and  an  ornament, 
consisting  of  a  circlet  of  stone  worn  on  the  left  arm  a  little 
above  the  wrist. 

The  horses  of  the  Tuaregs  are  very  ugly  and  small  but 
strong.  The  saddles  in  use  are  of  wood  covered  over  with 
leather,  and  a  thick  coverlet  of  felt  protects  the  hinder 
quarters  of  the  steed.  The  bits  are  of  very  well  forged 
iron,  the  bridle  is  of  plaited  leather ;  the  stirrups  of  copper 
are  very  small,  no  bigger  than  a  child's  bracelet,  and  the 

horseman  only  rests  his  big  toe  in  them. 

Q 


226  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

But  the  animal  which  takes  first  rank,  whether  for 
riding  or  for  carrying  bales  of  merchandise,  the  equipment 
of  camps,  meat,  milk,  etc.,  is  the  camel. 

The  Tamschek  language  has  many  names  for  this  useful 
animal,  a  different  one  being  used  for  it  according  to  its 
age  and  capacity.  The  camel  used  as  a  beast  of  burden 
is  a  strongly-built  and  heavy-looking  animal,  known  as  an 
amnis^  whilst  the  areggan  or  saddle  camel,  used  for  riding, 
is  much  lighter,  has  slenderer  limbs,  and  is  far  more 
spirited.  For  guiding  the  arnnis  or  the  areggan  a  bridle 
is  used,  passing  through  a  ring  which  was  fixed  in  the  nose 
of  the  animal  at  a  very  early  age. 

The  camel  is  the  chief  wealth  of  a  Tuareg.  "  How 
many  camels  has  your  father  ?  "  I  was  asked,  and  it  was 
very  difficult  to  convince  my  questioner  that  this  useful 
animal  would  be  of  no  good  to  us  in  France. 

The  costume  of  Tuareg  women  is  simpler  than  that  of 
their  husbands,  and  consists  of  a  long  piece  of  stuff,  which 
is  rolled  round  and  round  the  body,  a  pair  of  cotton  drawers, 
and  a  fariuel^  or  shawl,  which  they  wear  over  their  heads, 
and  drape  about  their  figures  as  gracefully  as  their  extreme 
stoutness  will  admit. 

Copper  ornaments  are  much  valued  and  are  very  rare. 
As  a  general  rule  the  women  and  men  both  like  any  sort 
of  trinket  which  can  be  hung  round  the  neck  ;  an  old  sardine 
tin  is  a  very  suitable  present  for  an  admirer  to  give  to  a 
Tuareg  lady.  A  Tuareg's  house  is  his  tent.  The  very 
poor,  however,  live  in  straw  huts  called  ehan. 

The  tent  or  ehakit  is  made  of  skins  upheld  by  a  central 
stake ;  the  edges  of  the  skins  are  very  irregular,  and  are 
fastened  with  the  aid  of  tags  to  pegs  stuck  in  the  ground. 

During  the  night  the  tent  is  closed,  and  the  owner  is  shut 
up  within  it,  but  in  the  daytime  it  is  left  open  on  the  side 
opposite  the  sun  ;  blinds  made  of  very  thin  laths  of  wood» 


THE   TUAREGS 


227 


kept  together  with  strips  of  leather,  plaited  in  and  out, 
shield  those  in  the  tent  from  the  heat  and  glare  of  the  rays 
reflected  from  the  burning  sands. 

An  encampment  of  tents  is  called  an  amezzar^  a  group 
of  camps,  generally  occupied  by  one  tribe,  is  a  tausi,  and 
over  such  an  agglomeration  the  chief  or  amrar  has  full 
authority. 

The  imrad  camps  are 
surrounded  by  palisades  or 
afaradj,  between  which  and 
the  tents  occupying  the 
centre  of  the  enclosure  the 
flocks  and  herds  are  shelter- 
ed at  night  and  protected 
from  the  lions,  which  still 
prowl  in  the  vicinity. 

The  Ihaggaren  seldom 
have  their  flocks  and  herds 

TUAREGS. 

with  them,  but  when  they 

have,  certain  of  the  imrads  under  them  live  in  the  camp 

and  look  after  the  animals. 

Within  the  tent  the  woman  is  mistress.  It  is  her  business 
to  look  after  and  order  about  the  slaves.  She  milks  the 
cows  and  she  does  the  cooking.  But  amongst  the  more 
important  tribes  the  house,  or  rather  tent-keeping  cares  do 
not  occupy  the  whole  of  the  day,  and  the  nights  are  so 
warm  that  all  sensible  Tuaregs  sit  up  till  midnight  at  least. 

Well,  how  does  the  woman  employ  her  spare  time  ?  She 
does  her  leather  work  very  much  as  European  ladies  do 
their  embroidery,  or  she  sings  to  the  accompaniment  of  an 
amzad^  or  violin  with  but  one  string.  She  even  composes 
verses. 

Yes,  she  makes  verses !  Will  not  this  arouse  the 
interest  of  all  the  blue-stockings  of  Europe  ?     Surely  when 


228  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE    NIGER 

their  occupations  are  so  much  ahke  their  sympathies  will 
go  out  to  their  sisters  in  the  distant  desert. 

I  can  even  add  that  Tuareg  verses  will  always  scan,  and 
that  they  all  rhyme.  Surely  this  is  a  good  deal  more  than 
can  be  said  of  the  effusions  of  most  female  scribblers ! 

The  men  too  write  poetry  sometimes.  I  have  not  time 
or  space  to  give  specimens  of  the  productions  of  these 
writers  of  the  Niger  districts  ;  but  I  cannot  refrain  from 
quoting  two  examples  given  by  Commandant  Hanotaux 
in  his  Tamschek  grammar,  which  were  written  by  Tuaregs 
of  the  north. 

The  first  is  a  madrigal,  composed  and  transcribed  in  the 
album  of  a  young  lady  of  Algiers  by  Bedda  of  Ida.  It 
must  be  observed  that  Bedda  was  the  first  Tuareg  to  visit 
Algeria. 

I  speak  ;  and,  Angelina,  thine  the  name  ! 

Love  in  my  heart  for  thee  can  never  die. 
What  son  of  Adam  may  endure  the  flame 

That  burns  within  that  dark,  alluring  eye  ? 
For  love  of  thee,  enslaved  by  thy  glance, 
I  e'en  would  journey  forth  afar  to  France  ! 

Who  holds  thee,  Angelina,  in  his  arms, 
May  dream  secure,  the  fairest  vision  thou  ! 

We  thought  no  human  limbs  the  lissom  charm 
Of  fleet  gazelles  could  e'er  surpass,  but  now. 

Since  we  have  seen  thy  perfect  form  and  face, 

We  know  that  we  were  wrong ;  thou  hast  all  grace  ! 

If  thou  shouldst  come  to  us,  come  to  our  land. 
Each  man  among  us  would  go  forth  to  thee 

And  sue  thy  favour  ;  and  should  one  demand 
What  price  I'd  pay  could  I  but  purchase  thee, 

I  ween,  for  such  possession  I  would  give,  indeed, 

Six  thousand  golden  pieces,  or  my  steed  !  ^ 

^  It  will  be  understood  that  the  translations  in  the  English  text  of 
the  free  translations  of  the  originals  can  only  give  an  approximate 
idea  of  the  poems  quoted. — Trans. 


THE   TUAREGS  229 

Are  not  the  sentiments  expressed  in  this  madrigal  won- 
derfully gallant  for  a  so-called  savage  ? 

The  second  piece  of  poetry  is  really  a  satire,  the  daughter 
of  Abukias  apostrophized  in  it  having  been  compelled  to 
repulse  the  too  ardent  advances  of  an  admirer,  who  could 
not  forgive  her  scorn. 

Daughter  of  Aboukias  !  thou  hast  come, 

And  the  sun  was  hot  when  thou  didst  say  " good-day"  ; 

Time  was,  when  but  to  hear  thy  words  repeated 

Filled  me  with  mad  desire  to  be  with  thee, 

For  thou  wast  in  mine  eyes  a  hoiiri. 

But  now  we  know  thy  nature  through  and  through. 

Rash  are  thy  words — reserve  unknown  to  thee  ; 

And  in  thy  treachery  thou  wilt  die. 

Wert  thou  of  noble  race,  how  would  thy  good  blood  show  ? 

By  silence  golden — not  by  reckless  blame  of  other  women, 

For  thou  wouldst  know  thyself ! 

Yet  one  more  word  before  I  close, 

A  word  which  many  others  will  confirm  ; 

Aye,  others  married  ere  thy  birth, 

Whose  steps  have  led  them  far  away  to  lands  unknown  to  thee. 

And  towns,  whose  very  names  thou  hast  not  heard. 

Young  men  there  are,  thou  fain  wouldst  know, 

Owners  of  herds  and  camels  which  will  ne'er  be  thine, 

To  saddle  in  war  or  to  milk  when  at  peace. 

But  as  for  thy  lover,  the  man  thou  didst  scorn, 

What  matter  to  us  though  thou  left  him  forlorn  ? 

No  translation  could  really  give  any  idea  of  the  vigorous 
ring  of  these  verses  in  the  original  Tamschek.  They  are 
alike  forcible  and  rhythmic  without  any  of  that  undue  use 
of  gutturals  for  which  the  Tuaregs  blame  the  Arabs,  calling 
their  language  in  derision  the  Takhamkhamen. 

When  Tuareg  women  receive,  or,  as  we  should  say,  are 
"  at  home  to  their  friends,"  they  recite  such  verses  as  those 
quoted  above,  or  tell  long  stories  which  last  for  several 
meetings.  The  men  gather  about  them  wearing  their  best 
clothes,  and  vieing  with  each  other  in  their  efforts  to  appear 
to  advantage.     The  worthy  deeds  of  those  who  acquitted 


230  THE    EXPLORATION    OF   THE    NIGER 

themselves  well  in  recent  conflicts  are  recounted,  whilst  the 
cowards  (who  take  care  not  to  put  in  an  appearance)  are 
held  up  to  public  scorn.  It  will  readily  be  understood  that 
the  Tuareg  customs,  which  differ  in  so  marked  a  degree 
from  those  of  the  Mahommedans,  give  a  great  influence  to 
the  female  sex,  and  place  a  woman  far  above  her  admirers, 
who  often  sue  in  vain  for  notice  from  her. 

As  long  as  there  is  plenty  of  pasturage  for  the  flocks  and 
herds  the  days  pass  peacefully  by,  as  we  have  described,  in 
the  Tuareg  camp,  but  directly  grass  becomes  scarce  the 
tents  must  be  struck,  and  the  tribe  moves  on  to  better 
feeding-grounds. 

When  the  word  to  break  up  the  temporary  home  has 
been  given  all  is  bustle  and  animation,  the  amezzar  resem- 
bling some  great  beehive.  The  camels  which  are  to  carry 
the  loads  are  assembled,  the  tents  go  down  as  if  by  magic, 
some  of  the  imrads  rapidly  roll  them  up,  and  pack  them 
on  the  backs  of  the  patient  beasts,  whilst  others  stow  away 
the  modest  furniture  and  household  utensils. 

Meanwhile  the  young  Ihaggaren  have  gone  forward  to 
choose  the  spot  for  the  new  camp.  Presently  they  return, 
and  place  themselves  at  the  head  of  the  party,  acting  alike 
as  guides  and  protectors  to  it. 

Behind  them  come  the  women,  chattering  together  in 
the  quaint,  cradle-like  saddles  they  occupy  on  the  fleeter 
camels,  whilst  the  older  men  gather  round  the  amrar,  and 
march  solemnly  on  with  him. 

Last  of  all,  led  by  the  slaves,  come  the  pack-saddle 
animals,  guarded  by  the  warriors,  who  protect  them  from 
pillage,  of  which  there  is  always  more  or  less  danger  in  the 
desert. 

The  site  of  the  new  encampment  reached,  tents  and 
furniture  are  unladed,  and  all  is  arranged  as  it  was  before. 
The  same  kind  of  life  as   that  already  described  begins 


THE  TUAREGS  231 

again,  and  goes  on  without  interruption  for  weeks  or  even 
for  months,  according  to  the  fertility  of  the  district. 

Of  course  all  this  refers  only  to  times  of  peace,  but 
amongst  the  Ihaggaren  constantly,  and  amongst  the 
imrads  more  rarely,  but  still  pretty  often,  war,  with  its 
many  complications,  breaks  out  and  upsets  everything. 

Amongst  nomad  tribes  constant  struggle  with  others  is 
all  but  a  necessity  of  existence.  In  certain  dry  seasons 
pasturage  is  alike  meagre  and  innutritious,  but  the  flocks 
and  herds  must  have  food,  hence  perpetual  disputes  and 
quarrels,  in  which  the  Amenokal,  when  there  is  one,  often 
intervenes  to  prevent  bloodshed  if  the  would-be  belligerents 
are  of  the  same  confederation. 

If,  however,  there  is  no  central  authority  to  preserve 
order  the  quarrel  spreads  and  becomes  general.  This  was 
the  original  cause  of  the  feud  between  the  Awellimiden 
and  the  Hoggars  of  the  north,  as  well  as  with  the  Kel 
Gheres  on  the  west,  a  feud  which  has  been  going  on 
uninterruptedly  from  time  immemorial. 

In  time  of  war  the  imrad  or  worker  suffers  but  little. 
Everything  is,  in  fact,  so  settled  by  tradition  amongst  the 
Tuaregs  that  even  a  battle  is  more  like  a  set  of  quadrilles 
than  anything  else. 

To  begin  with,  there  is  generally  a  palaver,  and  when  all 
attempts  to  patch  up  the  quarrel  have  failed  resort  is  had 
to  arms.  The  disputants  separate,  having  fixed  a  time  for 
their  meeting,  and  on  the  day  and  at  the  place  agreed  upon 
the  two  armies  or  attabu  are  drawn  up  as  in  a  mediaeval 
tournament. 

The  forces  advance  in  closely  serried  battalions.  Some- 
times the  Tuareg  fights  on  horseback,  but  as  a  rule  he 
prefers  to  meet  his  foe  on  foot.  The  combatants  hurl 
defiance  at  each  other  and  rush  shouting  to  the  fray. 
Spears  are  flung  at  a  distance  of  some  fifty  feet,  but  they 


232 


THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 


are  pretty  well  always  caught  on  the  shields  of  those  at 
whom  they  are  hurled. 

Meanwhile  the  confusion  rapidly  increases ;  the  chiefs 
now  begin  to  challenge  each  other  to  single  combat,  and 
it  is  no  unusual  thing  for  the  two  armies  to  cease  hostilities 


rm. 

[Bik^^HM 

^^^IR 

^^^^^^^ 

L  III 

^_| 

k-r-Jll 

jpggfl^ 

^Rl^^.^ 

m^^^' 

TUAREG   HORSEMAN. 


with  one  accord  to  watch  the  issue  of  the  struggle  between 
the  leaders.  Spears,  no  longer  of  any  use,  are  flung  aside, 
the  dagger  and  sword  taking  their  place,  and  gleaming  in 
the  sunshine  as  they  are  raised  against  the  foe.  Blood 
begins  to  flow  copiously  on  either  side.  Here  two  warriors 
are  holding  each  other  at  bay  at  arms  length,  each  trying 
to  pierce  his  adversary's  heart  with  his  sword  ;  there  two 


THE   TUAREGS  233 

others  are  locked  in  a  murderous  embrace,  stabbing  at  each 
other  with  their  daggers,  or  trying  to  crack  each  other's 
skulls  with  the  stone  amulet  alluded  to  above. 

At  last  one  side  wavers,  inferior  in  strength  or  in  num- 
bers to  the  other.  The  warriors  begin  to  flee,  and  the 
victors  shout,  "  la  !  ia  I  Our  adellin  rour'  one?t  iinzaden  I " 
("  Ah  !  ah  !  There  will  be  no  violins  for  you  !  ")  And  this 
sarcasm,  which  means  that  their  wives  will  be  angry  and 
scorn  them,  often  so  stings  the  fugitives  that  they  rally  and 
go  back  to  the  struggle,  eager  to  win  the  praises  of  their 
women  on  their  return  to  their  tents. 

In  these  battles  life  is  taken  without  pity  or  remorse  ; 
but,  as  I  have  already  said,  when  the  victory  is  won  the 
prisoners  are  spared.  I  have  even  been  told  by  several 
very  trustworthy  authorities,  that  when  peace  is  made  on 
the  request  of  one  side  or  the  other,  the  victors  will  entirely 
reclothe  the  prisoners  taken  before  sending  them  home. 

War,  however,  amongst  the  Tuaregs  generally  takes  the 
form  of  raids,  such  as  those  in  vogue  with  the  Arabs. 

Dangerous  as  are  these  raids,  they  offer  the  advantage  of 
taking  the  enemy  by  surprise,  and  meeting  him  face  to 
face  instead  of  being  attacked  in  the  rear.  Moreover,  the 
profit  if  victorious  is  immediate,  and  the  booty  often 
considerable. 

There  is  plenty  of  scope  in  them  too  for  individual 
courage  and  for  skill  in  stratagem,  promptitude  in  attack, 
and  for  showing  off  what  they  greatly  admire,  the  mili- 
tary virtues  of  endurance  under  privation,  knowledge  of 
the  country  to  be  traversed,  and  so  on. 

Here  I  must  just  add,  by  way  of  parenthesis,  that  one 
of  the  chief  charges  brought  against  the  Tuaregs,  that  of 
being  treacherous,  is  the  result  of  this  habit  of  theirs  of 
falling  unawares  upon  their  foe.  I  really  cannot  blame 
them,  however,  for   are   not   surprises   and   night  attacks 


234 


THE    EXPLORATION    OF   THE    NIGER 


amongst  the  tactics  of  European  armies,  and  does  any  one 
dream  of  attaching  dishonour  to  them  ? 

Military  regulations  deal  with  them  quite  openly,  only 
stipulating  that  they  should  not  be  attempted  except  with 
very  well-disciplined  troops,  who  are  thoroughly  in  hand. 
All  the  more  honour  then  to  the  Tuaregs  that  this  is  their 
usual  way  of  going  to  work. 


MOORS  AND   TUAREGS. 


What  I  may  call  these  hunting  expeditions  are  greatly 
facilitated,  if  not  altogether  necessitated,  by  the  very  nature 
of  a  nomad  life.  The  preparations  are  made  with  the 
greatest  secrecy,  and  only  the  sturdiest  walkers  and  the 
best  horsemen  are  allowed  to  take  part  in  them.  The 
party,  never  very  large,  numbering  at  the  most  a  hundred, 
if  the  way  is  long  as  it  often  is,  starts  preceded  by  guides, 
who  lead  the  razzia  by  the  least  frequented  route.  The 
most  important  point  to  be  kept  in  view  is  the  position 


THE    TUAREGS  235 

of  the  various  wells  by  the  way,  for  on  a  knowledge  of  this 
essential  detail  success  chiefly  depends. 

Gliding  silently  between  the  encampments  of  the  enemy 
on  the  frontiers,  the  Tuaregs  in  which  are  always  on  the 
alert,  for  their  exposed  situation  makes  them  watchful, 
the  marauding  expedition  flings  itself  suddenly  upon  the 
amezzar  or  tribe  chosen.  The  greatest  skill  is  needed  to 
take  the  enemy  unawares,  and  sometimes  all  the  precau- 
tions are  in  vain,  for  those  attacked  have  had  warning 
beforehand,  but  not  in  time  to  send  couriers  out  to  summon 
their  friends  to  their  aid. 

The  men  then  all  take  to  flight,  but  the  women  remain, 
for  though  the  men  who  resist  are  slain,  no  Tuareg  would 
stain  his  hands  with  the  blood  of  a  defenceless  woman ;  the 
flocks  and  herds  with  the  camels  are  hastily  hidden  in  the 
bush,  but  the  assailants,  or  imihagen  as  they  are  called, 
know  how  to  find  and  collect  them. 

The  next  thing  to  do  is  to  carry  off  the  booty  before 
those  pillaged  or  the  imihagen  come  back  to  avenge  them- 
selves, for  they  meanwhile  have  not  been  inactive,  but  by 
means  of  messengers,  or  by  fires  lit  on  the  tops  of  the  dunes, 
have  let  their  relations  know  of  their  need.  A  column 
is  quickly  formed,  and  starts  in  pursuit  of  the  raiders. 

It  is  their  turn  now  to  have  to  flee  for  their  lives.  The 
big  camels  used  as  beasts  of  burden  and  the  flocks  and 
herds  hamper  their  march.  If  they  do  not  get  a  good 
start  they  are  often  overtaken,  and  being  far  less  numerous 
than  those  they  have  robbed  they  have  to  pay  dearly  for 
their  audacity. 

The  pursuing  column  now  shows  considerable  skill  in 
getting  ahead  of  the  raiders,  and  awaiting  them  at  some 
well  or  pond  which  they  must  pass,  they  there  in  their  turn 
fall  suddenly  upon  the  enemy. 

The  marauders  are  by  this  time  weary,  whilst  the  robbed 


236  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

are  fresh  and  in  first-rate  positions.     The  robbers  are  dying 
of  thirst ;  their  enemies  have  drank  their  fill  at  their  ease. 

One  such  razzia  succeeds  another,  until  at  last  one  party 
to  the  quarrel  is  worn  out  and  sues  for  peace,  a  marabout 
acting  as  intermediary.  Innumerable  palavers  now  take 
place,  the  Tuareg  warriors  holding  forth  to  the  assembled 
crowds  in  long  speeches,  for  they  are  as  anxious  to  show 
off  their  eloquence  as  they  are  jealous  of  their  reputation 
for  military  skill.  A  truce  is  finally  patched  up,  and  though 
it  never  lasts  long  it  serves  as  an  excuse  for  a  feast,  in 
which,  by  the  way,  the  Tuaregs,  who  are  naturally  frugal 
and  abstemious,  rarely  indulge. 

Children  are  very  kindly  treated  in  Tuareg  camps.  Ex- 
cept to  compel  the  girls  to  empty  the  bowls  of  the  curdled 
milk,  the  drinking  of  which  makes  them  fat,  they  are  never 
beaten.  As  soon  as  they  can  stand  alone  the  little  boys 
are  taught  to  fling  the  spear,  small  weapons  suited  to 
their  size  being  specially  made  for  them.  The  father  looks 
after  the  martial  education  of  his  sons,  whilst  the  mother 
teaches  the  girls  to  work  leather,  to  sing,  and  to  read  the 
written  characters  I  have  already  described.  This  is  how 
it  comes  about  that  women  can  generally  decipher  inscrip- 
tions more  readily  than  men. 

A  strange  custom  prevails  with  regard  to  inheritance,  not 
only  amongst  the  Tuaregs  but  in  other  African  tribes,  and 
that  is,  the  nephew  is  the  heir  of  the  uncle,  not  the  son  of 
the  father.  The  child  of  an  imrad  woman  is  a  serf,  and 
the  son  of  a  slave  is  a  slave  no  matter  whether  the  father 
is  a  free  man  or  not.  "It  is  the  womb  which  gives  to  the 
child  its  complexion,"  say  the  Tuaregs.  It  is  the  law  of 
Beni-Omia. 

The  great  Awellimiden  tribes,  however,  repudiate  this 
custom,  saying  that  it  reflects  unfairly  upon  the  virtue  of 
their  women.     "  One  is  always  sure  to  be  the  son  of  one's 


THE   TUAREGS  237 

mother,"  they  say,  "  but  not  of  one's  father.  That  is  why 
a  race  less  noble  than  our  own  have  adopted  the  custom  of 
inheritance  from  uncle  to  nephew.  They  are  sure  that  in 
the  veins  of  the  latter  flows  the  blood  of  the  former." 

The  rest  of  the  Tuaregs,  however,  who  have  always  been 
noted  for  their  gallantry,  date  the  origin  of  the  so-called 
Beni-Omia  law  from  Gheres,  the  father  of  the  Kel  Gheres. 

Gheres,  they  say,  had  a  wife  named  Fatimata  Azzer'a, 
and  a  sister  called  Gherinecha.  Each  of  them  had  a  son  ; 
the  child  of  the  former  was  called  Ituei,  that  of  the  latter, 
R'isa. 

Now  Gheres,  feeling  old  age  gaining  on  him,  wished  to 
prove  his  wife.  He  pretended  he  was  ill,  and  went  to 
consult  an  old  sorcerer  who  dwelt  in  a  hut  on  a  lofty  dune, 
from  which  he  never  came  down  into  the  plains.  There 
was  no  well  there,  and  the  sorcerer  had  neither  sheep  nor 
oxen  nor  camels,  none  knew  what  he  drank  or  what  he  ate. 

On  his  return  to  his  camp  after  his  visit  to  the  sorcerer, 
Gheres  sent  for  his  wife  and  said  to  her — "  Woman,  thou 
alone  canst  cure  me.  My  days  are  numbered  unless  I  can 
anoint  my  body  with  magic  ointment  made  from  the  brains 
of  a  child.     Give  me  thy  son." 

"  My  son  is  mine,"  replied  Fatimata ;  "  I  have  had  the 
trouble  of  bearing  and  rearing  him.  It  is  true  I  love  thee 
next  to  him,  but  even  if  thy  life  depend  on  it,  I  will  not 
have  him  die." 

The  chief  then  sent  for  Gherinecha  and  made  the  same 
demand  of  her  as  he  had  of  his  wife. 

"  After  thee,  my  brother,"  she  said,  "  I  love  R'isa  best. 
But  if  God  inflicts  on  me  the  anguish  of  choosing  between 
thee  and  him,  I  choose.  Take  thou  the  child,  do  as  the 
sorcerer  bids  thee,  and  may  Allah  protect  thee." 

So  Gheres  hid  his  nephew  in  the  bush,  killed  a  kid,  took 
its  brains,  rubbed  his  body  with  them  and  returned  to  his 


238  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

camp,  where  he  summoned  his  relations  and  subjects  to 
appear  before  him.  He  then  told  the  story  of  what  he 
pretended  had  happened,  and  everybody  admired  the  devo- 
tion of  Gherinecha.  Then  he  called  for  the  child — who  had 
been  brought  in  unperceived  under  the  cloak  of  a  slave — 
and  presented  him  to  the  assembled  crowds,  saying,  "Behold 
my  heir  and  my  successor.  As  my  sister  loves  me 
more  than  my  wife  does,  it  is  but  just  that  after  my 
death  my  sister's  son  should  inherit  my  wealth  and  my 
rights." 

The  Ben-Omia  law  has  at  least  had  the  good  result 
where  it  is  enforced  of  preserving  the  purity  of  the  Tuareg 
blood,  for  the  son  of  a  black  slave  woman  would  be  and 
remain  a  slave  all  his  life,  no  matter  how  great  the  power 
or  how  high  the  lineage  of  his  father. 

Amongst  the  Awellimiden,  on  the  other  hand,  that  is  to 
say,  amongst  the  three  chief  tribes,  the  Kel  Kumeden,  the 
Kel  Ahara,  and  the  Kel  Tedjiuane,  which  dominate  the 
rest  of  the  Confederation,  this  system  has  not  been  observed, 
with  the  result  that  the  complexions  of  the  Awellimiden 
have  been  notably  darkened  by  the  admixture  of  negro 
blood. 

The  Tuaregs  are  extremely  superstitious,  and  I  have 
already  alluded  to  the  number  of  charms  with  which  they 
deck  themselves. 

The  Demons  or  Alchinen  play  a  great  part  amongst 
them,  and  are  looked  upon  as  almost  human.  They  are 
supposed  to  inhabit  the  mountains,  camping  on  them,  and 
living  a  life  very  much  like  that  of  the  Tuareg  tribes  them- 
selves. They  have  their  own  quarrels,  their  own  wars,  and 
they  too  make  raids  on  each  other.  They  are,  however, 
endowed  with  the  power  of  becoming  invisible,  and  they 
come  unseen  to  take  and  to  drink  the  milk  of  the  cows 
belonging   to  the   Tuaregs.     "Beware,"  say  the  Tuaregs, 


THE   TUAREGS 


239 


"  when  you  are  out  at  night  that  you  do  not  run  against  an 
alchin  (the  singular  of  alchineri).  You  will  see  nothing  at 
the  time,  but  the  next  morning  when  you  wake  you  will 
find  that  your  foot  is  sore  and  you  cannot  walk.  You  have 
trodden  on  the  foot  of  a  demon." 


A    VOUNG  TUAREG. 


In  spite  of  the  undoubted  courage  01  the  Tuaregs,  they 
hate  the  idea  of  death.  They  do  not  say  of  any  one  who 
has  died,  "  He  is  dead,"  but  Aba,  he  has  disappeared.  It  is  a 
sign  of  very  bad  breeding  to  speak  of  a  dead  relative  or 
even  to  pronounce  his  name.  He  must  be  alluded  to  only 
as  mandain,  or  such  an  one.  None  but  the  descendants  of 
an  illustrious  chief  or  the  sons  of  an  Amenokal  tolerate  any 


240  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

allusion  to  their  ancestors,  in  which  case  pride  is  stronger 
than  superstition. 

We  came  in  contact  on  our  journey  with  the  two  great 
Confederations  of  the  Igwadaren  and  the  Awellimiden  ; 
the  former,  as  we  have  seen,  are  a  prey  to  anarchy  and 
they  rob  traders,  but  their  importance  is  almost  nil. 

It  is  very  different  with  the  Awellimiden.  I  do  not  of 
course  deny  that  certain  tribes  are  dangerous  to  travellers  ; 
for  frequent  revolts  against  the  central  authority  occur,  and 
during  our  stay  at  Say  the  Cheibatan  tried  to  shake  off 
the  suzerainty  of  the  Amenokal,  but  they  were  cruelly 
punished  by  Madidu  and  his  nephew  Djamarata. 

As  a  rule,  however,  the  protection  promised  by  a  chief 
can  be  depended  on,  and  for  this  reason  the  Awellimiden 
will  certainly  be  the  first  Tuaregs  whom  we  shall  be  able 
to  induce  to  lead  a  more  civilized  life. 

True  Awellimiden,  or  direct  descendants  from  Lemta, 
are  few.  They  include  at  present  three  tribes,  the  Kel 
Kumeden,  the  Kel  Ahara,  and  the  Kel  Tedjucane.  The 
Amenokal  or  principal  chief  is  always  a  member  of  the  first- 
named,  and  inherits  in  the  usual  order  of  primogeniture 
in  these  districts,  that  is  to  say,  the  brothers  reign  in 
succession  according  to  age,  then  the  son  of  the  eldest, 
and  so  on. 

It  is,  however,  open  to  the  Confederation  to  depart  from 
this  rule,  and  the  Amenokal  is  not  regularly  invested  with 
authority  until  the  consent  of  the  assembled  Ihaggaren 
has  been  given.  But  it  is  a  very  rare  thing  for  an  exception 
to  be  made,  and  the  right  of  veto,  though  it  has  been  used, 
is  seldom  exercised. 

The  predecessor  of  Madidu  was  Alimsar,  who  had  suc- 
ceeded his  brother  El  Khotab,  the  protector  of  Barth.  I 
transcribe  below  the  genealogy  of  the  descendants  of  El 
Khotab  and  Alimsar  just  as  it  was  given  to  me. 


THE   TUAREGS 


241 


Madidu 
(present  Chief) 

I  ^1 

Assalmi      El  Mekki 


DURRATA 

(dead) 


EL  KHOTAB 

I 


Elaui 


AOOLA 

(dead) 


Musa        Mursa  Djaniarata 


ALIMSAR 

I 


Badjehun       Karikari 
(dead)  I 


[muhadjil        1  son  (?) 


AZUHUR 


FlHIRUN 


Aneirum.        2  other  sons  (?)      2  sons  (?) 


I 
3  other  sons  (?) 


Here  too  is  a  list  of  the  tribes  making  up  the  Awelli- 
miden  Confederation,  with  the  names  of  their  present 
chiefs. 

THE    NOBLE    OR   IHAGGAREN   TRIBES. 


Kel  Kumeden— Chief  Madidu. 
Kel  Ahara— Chief  El  Yasan. 
Kel  Tedjiuane— Chief  Arreian. 
Iderragagen. 
Tarkaitamut. 
Tahabanat. 

IBEHAUEN— Chief  Sar'adu. 
IFOGHAS — Chief  Waruziga. 
Ihegaren — Chief  El  Auedech. 


Kel  Tekeniuen — Chief  Burhan. 
Kel  Takabut — Chief  Aluania. 
Teradabeben — Chief  Sidauat. 
Tenguereguedeche  —   Chief 

Warigoru. 
Tademeket— Chief  Yunes. 
IDALBABU — Chief  Ihuar. 
Ahianallan. 


SERFS   OR   IMRADS. 


Kel  Gossi— Chief  Ur  illies. 
Irreganaten— Chief  Ur  orda. 
Iueraruarar'en — Chief  Maha- 

mud. 
I  mideddar'en— Chief  Huberzan. 
IBONGITAN — Chief  Allabi. 
Tafagagat— Chief  Karrabau. 


Tar'ahil — Chief  Ekerech. 
Ikairiraen — Chief  Ezemek. 
Erkaten — Chief  Elanusi. 
IKAWELLATEN — Chief  Ibunafan. 
IHAIAUEN— Chief  Abba. 
Kel  R'ezafan— Chief  Amache- 
cha. 


To  these  tribes  making  up  the  actual  Confederation  must 
be  added  the  following,  who  were  brought  into  it  by  force, 
and  have  long  since  submitted  with  a  good  grace  to  be 
under  the  protection  of  the  Awellimiden  : 


242  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 


Wadalen— Chief  Niugi. 
Cheibatan— Chief  Rafiek. 
LoGOMATEN — Chief  Bokar  Wan- 
dieidu. 


Eratafan— Chief  Yoba. 
Ibendasan. 

Ahiananurde— Chief  Amadida. 
Tabotan— Chief  Muley. 


Subject  to  each  of  these  last-named  tribes  are  inirads, 
but  I  only  know  the  name  of  one  of  their  tribes,  that  of  the 
Ekono,  vassals  of  the  Wadalen. 

In  addition  to  their  predatory  excursions  the  Tuaregs  on 
the  right  and  left  bank  of  the  Niger  make  two  annual 
migrations,  the  time  of  which  is  generally  the  same. 

During  the  dry  season,  from  December  to  May,  the 
higher  districts  are  sterile  and  dry,  the  ponds  and  wells 
empty  of  water.  Then  the  Tuaregs  move  down  to  the 
river-banks  and  their  flocks  and  herds  graze  on  the  coarse 
weeds  which  line  them.  To  avoid  the  sickness  amongst 
the  camels  which  results  from  eating  damp  food,  and  to 
which  I  alluded  in  speaking  of  Timbuktu,  they  generally 
leave  them  a  little  further  inland.  It  is  at  this  time  that 
the  negroes  pay  their  tribute  of  maize  and  tobacco,  and  it 
is  also  during  this  same  season  that  warlike  expeditions 
are  generally  undertaken. 

For  the  rest  of  the  year  the  rain  pours  down  in  torrents 
in  the  riverside  districts,  and  although  its  fall  is  not  so 
constant  or  so  heavy  in  the  higher  lands,  they  too  are 
fertilized  by  the  filling  up  of  the  ponds  and  the  wells, 
many  of  which  even  overflow. 

Then  the  nomad  tribes  go  back  again  to  their  old  haunts, 
and  settle  down  for  the  winter  in  their  camps  about  the 
wadies,  resembling  those  of  Algeria,  which  begin  near  Gao. 

These  wadies  are  such  very  characteristic  features  of 
Central  Africa,  that  a  description  of  one  of  them  may  be 
useful.  The  word  wddy  means  the  channel  of  a  water- 
course which  is  dry  except  in  the  rainy  season,  but  there 
is  water  in  the  upper  portion  of  that  of  Gao  in  every  season. 


THE   TUAREGS  243 

Its  source  is  far  away  in  the  north,  and  it  seems  to  be 
identical  with  the  Igharghar  of  the  south,  alluded  to  by 
Duveyrier,  the  Astapus  of  the  ancients,  which  comes  down 
from  the  Atakor  or  Ahaggar. 

This  would  confirm  Earth's  suggestion,  that  the  marshy 
depressions  which  debouch  on  the  Ngiti  Sokoto  do  not 
extend  beyond  the  district  of  Air. 

My  own  opinion  is  that  the  Gao  W^dy,  before  it  became 
choked  up  with  sand,  was  a  tributary  of  the  Niger  when 
the  course  of  that  river  was  far  more  rapid  than  it  is  now. 

An  examination  of  its  banks  does  in  fact  lead  to  the 
conclusion,  that  nearly  if  not  quite  all  along  them  a  line  of 
cliffs,  eroded  by  the  action  of  water,  marks  what  was  once 
the  bed  of  part  of  the  old  Niger.  In  their  annual  migration 
the  Awellimiden  go  up  as  far  as  the  districts  near  Air, 
where  they  come  in  contact  with  their  enemies  the  Kel 
Gheres.  Probably  competition  for  the  ownership  of  the 
pasturages  yielding  food  in  the  dry  season,  was  the  original 
cause  of  the  feud  between  the  two  races,  which  dates  from 
centuries  ago. 

The  tribes  from  the  left  bank  of  the  Niger  also  move 
into  the  kind  of  islet  formed  by  the  bend  of  the  river, 
advancing  to  near  Dori,  where  they  find  a  series  of  ponds 
and  lakes  known  as  Oursi  Beli,  etc.,  an  idea  of  which  I 
have  tried  to  give  in  the  map  accompanying  this  volume, 
but  I  do  not  know  how  far  I  have  succeeded. 

There  are  many  very  curious  and  interesting  hydro- 
graphical  problems  connected  with  this  bend  of  the  Niger 
reserved  for  the  future  explorer  to  solve. 

Well,  what  do  my  readers  think  of  the  Tuaregs  after  the 
picture  I  have  endeavoured  to  give  of  them  ?  I  certainly 
have  not  represented  them  as  saints,  living  in  a  kind  of 
Utopia,  where  all  is  well,  where  the  men  have  no  vices 
and  the  women  no  faults. 


244  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE    NIGER 

You  will  perhaps,  however,  agree  with  me  that  they  have 
very  decided  characters,  and  many  fine  qualities,  if  also  many 
defects.  Their  intelligence  is  certainly  great,  making  it  well 
worth  while  to  try  and  win  them  to  a  better  mode  of  life,  and 
one  more  conducive  to  the  comfort  of  their  neighbours. 

I  do  not  of  course  fail  to  recognize  what  hard  work  it  is  to 
row  against  the  current  or  to  contend  against  pre-conceived 
ideas.      It  is  always  difficult,  and  sometimes  dangerous. 

In  1859  a  young  Frenchman,  not  more  than  twenty 
years  old  at  the  most,  disembarked  at  Constantine.  He 
spent  three  years  travelling  about  the  Algerian  Sahara, 
and  under  the  powerful  protection  of  the  Emir  Ikhenuk- 
hen,  chief  of  the  Azguers,  he  lived  for  more  than  a  year 
amongst  the  Tuaregs. 

After  his  return  an  expedition  was  sent  out  by  the  Governor 
of  Algeria,  and  the  treaty  of  Rhadames  was  signed. 

Then,  in  accordance  with  the  traditional  French  policy  in 
matters  colonial,  instead  of  profiting  by  the  results  already 
acquired,  absolutely  nothing  further  was  done.  Duveyrier 
described  the  Tuaregs  as  he  had  found  them,  just  as  I 
have  tried  to  do ;  he  spoke  quite  frankly  of  their  faults  as 
well  as  of  their  virtues,  and  insisted  on  the  possibility  of 
treating  with  them  on  favourable  terms.  He  might  well  do 
so,  for  he  had  already  succeeded  in  that  direction  himself. 

When  twenty  years  later  Flatters  was  assassinated, 
Duveyrier  was  accused  of  mendacious  optimism,  and 
every  one  was  ready  to  cast  a  stone  at  him. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  however.  Flatters  was  killed  by  the 
Hoggars,  and  Duveyrier  had  mentioned  that  they  were 
living  in  a  state  of  anarchy,  which  seemed  likely  to  get 
worse  and  worse  rather  than  to  improve.  Flatters  insisted 
on  going  through  their  territory,  although  the  Amrar  had 
told  him  he  could  not  protect  him.  Now  Duveyrier  had 
made  a  special  point  of  never  going  into  any  district  with- 


THE   TUAREGS 


245 


out  first  securing  an  efficacious  safe-conduct,  yet  in  spite 
of  all  this  he  is  made  responsible  for  the  disaster. 

A  fitting  epilogue  ensued,  for  Duveyrier,  disquieted 
at  the  accusations  brought  against  him,  weakened  by  fever 
contracted  in  his  journey,  and  cut  to  the  heart  by  the 
ingratitude  of  his  fellow-countrymen,  committed  suicide  by 
shooting  himself  with  his  revolver,  in  the  hope  perchance  of 
finding  the  justice  denied  him  here  in  another  world,  if 
there  be  indeed  such  a  thing  as  justice  anywhere. 

The  English  would 
have  made  him  a  peer, 
and  put  up  statues  in 
his  honour ;  the  ignor- 
ance of  the  French,  I 
will  not  use  a  harsher 
word,  drove  him  to 
commit  suicide. 

The  example  is  cer- 
tainly not  encourag- 
ing  to    us    later   ex-  tuaregs. 
plorers. 

I  should  have  been  more  likely  to  win  applause  if  I  had 
pictured  the  Tuaregs  as  irreclaimable  savages,  relating  a 
thousand  entanglements  with  them,  such  as  imaginary 
conflicts  with  their  armed  bands,  where  my  own  presence 
of  mind  and  the  courage  of  my  party  saved  the  expedition 
from  massacre. 

I  have  preferred  in  the  interests  of  my  country  to  tell 
the  truth,  the  whole  truth,  and  nothing  but  the  truth. 

Even  as  I  write  these  words,  I  hear  of  the  death  of  two 
young  officers  and  their  men,  who  were  killed  near  Tim- 
buktu in  a  fight  with  a  Hoggar  razzi.    The  Hoggars  again  ! 

This  does  but  confirm  what  I  insisted  on  when  I  was 
at  Timbuktu,  that  we   shall  never  succeed  in    getting  en 


246  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

rapport  with  the  nomad  tribes  except  with  the  aid  of  those 
tribes  themselves. 

We  must  first  subjugate  certain  tribes,  and  then  form 
from  amongst  them  auxihary  levies,  or,  as  the  natives  call 
them,  maghzen^  which  will  aid  us,  at  a  minimum  cost  to 
ourselves,  to  establish  French  influence  over  the  Tuaregs. 

Amongst  the  tribes  who  would  best  lend  themselves  to 
this  purpose,  I  place  the  Awellimiden  in  the  very  first 
rank,  and  they  are  the  hereditary  enemies  of  the  Hoggars. 
Or  perhaps  I  should  rather  have  said,  if  we  wish  to  bring 
about  a  complete  pacification  of  the  country,  and  at  the 
same  time  win  the  friendship  of  the  Awellimiden  chief,  we 
ought  to  strengthen  his  hands. 

With  this  idea  in  my  mind  I  make  the  following 
suggestions.  We  should  arm  the  Awellimiden  with  a 
hundred  or  a  couple  of  hundreds  of  percussion  rifles,  with 
very  large  nipples,  which  would  only  admit  of  the  use  of 
special  caps  turned  out  in  French  manufactories. 

With  one  hundred  such  guns  the  Awellimiden  would  be 
invincible,  and  could  soon  butcher  all  their  enemies,  whether 
Kel  Gheres  or  Hoggars. 

The  absolute  necessity  of  having  French  percussion  caps 
would  place  them  entirely  in  our  hands,  and  by  doling 
out  the  ammunition  needed  little  by  little,  we  should  force 
them  to  submit  to  and  serve  us.  We  should,  moreover, 
have  it  in  our  power  to  break  up  their  strength  directly 
they  showed  any  reluctance  to  fall  in  with  our  wishes. 

In  return  for  a  service  such  as  this  supply  of  fire-arms, 
the  Amenokal  would  protect  our  traders  ;  he  has  already 
in  fact  promised  to  do  so,  not  only  by  word  of  mouth  but 
in  writing. 

These  traders  must,  however,  act  with  prudence  and 
circumspection.  I  am  quite  convinced  that  I  and  my  com- 
panions might  fearlessly  return  to  the  Awellimiden  because 


THE   TUAREGS  247 

they  know  us  now.  I  have  suggested  to  our  Government 
that  we  should  return,  but  I  have  not  been  more  successful  in 
that  direction  than  I  have  in  getting  the  rifles  I  asked  for. 

Strangers  must  not  attempt  with  a  light  heart  to 
penetrate  into  the  Tuareg  districts,  without  having  secured 
the  formal  protection  of  the  chief. 

What  would  you  have  ?  When  a  Grand  Duke  announces 
his  intention  of  visiting  the  wine-shops  of  the  outlying 
boulevards,  don't  we  always  take  care  to  send  an  habitue 
of  those  boulevards  with  him  to  look  after  him?  A 
Jaume  or  a  Rossignol'^  is  always  in  attendance.  And  if 
a  protector  is  useful  in  Paris,  can  we  not  well  understand 
that  one  would  be  indispensable  in  the  Sahara  } 

When  Madidu  has  once  said  to  a  traveller  "  Yes,  come," 
or  "  You  can  go,"  I  am  convinced  that  no  danger  would  be 
run  in  the  districts  subject  to  him. 

With  the  Awellimiden  on  our  side  we  could  conquer 
the  Sahara,  and  the  Tuaregs  would  help  us  to  push  on 
towards  Lake  Tchad,  Air,  Tunis  and  Algeria.  He  would 
find  it  to  his  own  advantage  to  do  so,  and  the  conditions 
of  his  existence  would  be  manifestly  ameliorated. 

Do  you  imagine  that  these  Tuaregs  are  stupid  enough 
to  miss  a  chance  of  getting  stuffs  for  clothes,  coverlids, 
glass  beads,  and  all  the  things  they  covet?  If  the  men 
were  sufficiently  blind  to  their  own  interests,  I'll  warrant 
you  their  wives  would  not  be. 

The  Tuareg  race  will  be  tamed  at  last,  their  faults,  all 
the  result  of  the  fierce  struggle  for  existence,  will  disappear, 
and  modern  civilization  will  have  conquered  a  new  district 
in  Africa ! 

One  afterthought  does,  however,  occur  to  me.  Will  the 
change  be  a  good  thing  for  the  Tuaregs  themselves  ? 

^  These  are  the  slang  names  for  members  of  the  secret  police  in 
France. —  Tra?is. 


248  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

When  I  think  of  their  wandering  Hfe,  free  from  all 
restraint,  when  I  remember  their  courage,  which  to  them 
is  the  highest  of  virtues,  when  I  consider  how  truly  equal 
all  those  worthy  of  equality  are,  I  ask  myself  whether  after 
all  they  are  not  happier  than  we  Europeans  ? 

Their  life  is  a  hard  one,  and  their  habits  are  frugal,  but 
has  not  custom  made  this  life  natural  to  them,  and  are 
they  really  sensible  of  its  privations? 

Good  fortune  with  them  is  the  reward  of  the  brave  who 
know  how  to  win  the  victory,  and  it  is  in  razzis  that  the 
victory  is  gained.  To  spoil  the  vanquished  is  also  to  wash 
out  the  stain  of  an  hereditary  injury,  for  the  vendetta  is  not 
confined  to  Italy,  but  often  makes  friendship  impossible 
between  certain  tribes  in  Africa.  The  goods  of  him  who 
perishes  by  the  sword  are  the  property  of  the  wielder  of 
that  sword,  and  the  death  of  the  vanquished  avenges  some 
pillaged  or  massacred  ancestor,  as  well  as  enriches  the 
conqueror. 

A  rough  rendering  is  given  below  of  the  Song  of 
KOtman^  quoted  by  Duveyrier,  who  justly  calls  it  the 
Tuareg  Marseillaise^  which  is  chanted  in  defiance  of  the 
Chambas  by  the  Azgueurs,  who  are  their  hereditary 
enemies. 

Death  to  thy  mother  !     Ma'atalla  the  devil  is  in  thee  ! 

Call'st  thou  the  Tuaregs  traitors,  the  men  of  the  plain  ? 

Ha  !  but  they  know  how  to  travel,  to  fight  in  the  battle, 

Sally  at  morn  and  return  in  the  evening  again  ! 

Aye,  and  they  know  how  to  fall  on  the  enemy  sleeping — 

Sleeping  at  ease  in  the  tent  with  his  flocks  at  his  side. 

Lapped  in  his  fine  woollen  garments,  his  curtains  and  carpets 

Spreading  full  length  in  the  shade  of  the  canopy  wide. 

What  though  with  milk  newly-drawn  from  the  udders  of  camels, 

What  though  with  meat  and  with  butter  his  paunch  he  has  filled. 

Straight  as  a  nail  to  the  ground  pins  the  lance  of  the  victor. 

Out  with  a  shriek  and  a  yell  flies  the  soul  of  the  killed  ! 

Sunk  in  despair  lies  the  heart-broken  wife  of  the  victim, 

Scattered  and  vanished  their  goods  like  as  water  o'erspilled  ! 


THE   TUAREGS 


249 


Wild  manners  truly  do  these  lines  describe,  but  they 
also  express  proud  and  heroic  sentiments.  What  will  the 
Tuaregs  gain  by  their  transformation  into  civilized  people  ? 

In  a  few  centuries,  where  the  tents  of  the  Amezzar  are 
pitched  there  will  be  permanent  towns.  The  descendants 
of  the  Ihaggaren  of  the  present  day  will  be  citizens.  There 
will  be  nothing  about  them  to  remind  their  contemporaries 
of  the  wild  knights  of  the  desert. 

No  more  will  they  go  to  war ;  no  more  will  they  lead 
razzis  to  ravage  the  camps  of  their  neighbours,  for  they  will 
have  given  up  pillage  altogether ;  but  perhaps  in  a  bank, 
which  will  take  the  place  of  the  tent  of  their  Amenokal, 
they  will  try  to  float  rotten  companies,  and  mines  which 
exist  nowhere  but  in  the  imagination  of  their  chiefs. 
What  will  they  be  then  ?     Not  pillagers  but  thieves  ! 

Truth  to  tell,  I  think  I  prefer  my  marauders,  who  fall  on 
their  prey  like  the  lion  Ahar ! 


AN   AFRICAN   CAMEL. 


AN   ISOLATED  TREE   AT  FAFA. 


CHAPTER   VI 

FROM   FAFA  TO   SAY 


Our  dread  of  the  passage  of  the  river  at  Fafa  may 
have  seemed  almost  childish,  and  we  have  since  had 
experience  of  many  another  like  it,  but  for  a  first  attempt 
it  must  be  admitted  it  was  rather  a  teaser. 

Narrow  and  much  encumbered,  made  more  difficult  by 
a  violent  current,  such  is  the  pass  of  Fafa. 

We  took  as  guide  the  son  of  the  chief  of  the  village,  who 

was  later  to  pay  us  a  visit  at  Say.     Thanks  to  him  and 

with  the  help  of  his  men  we  crossed  the  first  rapids  without 

too  much  difficulty ;  but,  alas !  the  rope  which  was  used  to 

transmit  to  the  rudder  the  movements  of  the  helm  broke 

just  as  we  emerged  from  them.     Had  this  happened  thirty 

seconds  sooner  the  Davoiist  could  not  have  answered  to 

her  helm,  and  would  have  been  flung  upon  the  rocks.     The 

damage  repaired,  we  steered  once  more    into  the  current, 

wending  our  way  cautiously  amongst  the  numerous  islands, 

skirting  the  course  of  the  reef,  our  good  star  bringing  us 

250 


FROM   FAFA  TO   SAY 


251 


safely  into  a  quiet  reach  extending  as  far  as  Wataguna, 
where  we  again  came  to  flints  hning  the  bed  of  the  stream. 
In  the  evening  we  reached  Karu,  the  Atibe  having  struck 
once  by  the  way,  but  without  sustaining  much  damage  ;  still 
all  these  shocks  did  not  add  to  her  waterproof  qualities, 
and  as  she  shipped  more  and  more  water  our  anxiety  and 
fatigue  became  greater  and  greater.     We  had  constantly 


FAFA. 


to  empty  the  hold,  which  did  not  conduce  to  the  repose 
of  the  passengers,  who  were  often  woke  up  by  the  noise 
we  made  with  our  buckets. 

Karu  is  a  pretty  little  village  with  thatched  huts,  amongst 
which  were  many  of  the  barns  of  a  bee-hive  shape  used 
for  storing  millet  alluded  to  by  Barth.  We  had  noticed  a 
good  number  during  the  last  few  days.  The  inhabitants 
of  this  village  are  Rimaibes  or  serfs  of  the  Fulahs  and 
Bellates  or  slaves  of  the  Tuaregs. 


252 


THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 


The  chief  of  the  latter  told  us  how  glad  he  was  to  see 
some  white  men  before  he  died.  He  added  that  he  would 
like  to  give  us  some  sheep,  but  he  understood  that  we 
never  ate  anything  except  the  flesh  of  black  animals,  and 
he  had  none  of  that  colour. 

I  said  that  the  colour  of  the  wool  did  not  trouble  us  at 
all ;  all  we  cared  for  was  the  quality  of  the  flesh,  and  he 
went  and  fetched  us  a  fine  ram.     It  was  the  marabouts, 

who,   to   add    to    the 

probability     of    their 

report   that   we   were 

sorcerers,    had    made 

this    assertion     about 

black  animals.    There 

is    a    custom    in    the 

Sudan    that    animals 

given       as      presents 

should  be  as  white  as 

possible,  as  a  sign  of 

peace  between  donor  and  receiver.    We  were  now  told  that 

Bokar  Wandieidu,  chief  of  the  Logomaten,  had  assembled 

a  column  of  troops  and  was  about  to  attack  us. 

At  Karu  the  mountains  were  pointed  out  to  us  which 
line  the  famous  rapid  of  Labezenga,  which  we  expected  to 
reach  the  next  day.  A  guide  was  given  to  us  who  was 
said  to  be  wonderfully  clever,  but  we  saw  no  particular 
sign  of  his  intelligence. 

It  was  on  March  14  that  we  first  saw  the  terrible 
Labezenga  rapid,  and  I  am  very  sure  that  we  shall  none 
of  us  ever  forget  it. 

Our  guide  began  the  day  by  performing  a  number  of 
mummeries,  the  aim  of  which  appears  to  have  been  to 
make  various  evil  genii  propitious  to  us.  From  a  leather 
bag  he  took  out  a  lot  of  flat  and  shaly  flints  which  had 


KARU    WITH   MILLET  GRANARIES. 


FROM    FAFA   TO    SAY  253 

been  picked  up  in  the  rapid.  He  wrapped  each  one  of 
these  flints  in  a  separate  piece  of  cloth,  spat  upon 
them,  and  arranged  them  here  and  there  all  over  the 
boat. 

The  current  rapidly  swept  us  into  a  part  of  the  river 
pretty  free  from  obstruction,  and  every  now  and  then  I 
tried  to  distract  our  guide's  attention  from  his  spells  and 


THE  LABEZENGA   RAPIDS. 


to  get  him  to  give  me  a  little  information,  but  he  merely 
replied  without  looking  at  me  that  there  was  no  danger, 
and  that  he  would  stop  us  at  the  right  time. 

Often  from  behind  some  little  jutting  out  point  which 
intercepted  our  view  I  heard  a  peculiar  noise,  a  sort  of 
dull  but  vague  roar.  The  rate  of  the  current  too  increased 
rapidly,  and  we  rushed  along  at  a  rate  of  five  miles  an  hour 
at  the  least.  We  listened  eagerly,  but  all  of  a  sudden 
we  saw  that  the  stream  was  barred  from  side  to  side,  a 


254  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

distance  of  something  like  a  thousand  yards,  by  a  positive 
wall  of  rocks  against  which  the  water  was  dashing  up  in 
foam. 

Our  idiot  of  a  guide  looked  up  at  last  and  saw  the 
danger.  He  motioned  to  us  to  steer  for  the  bank,  but 
rushing  along  as  we  were  with  the  tremendous  current, 
to  attempt  to  do  so  would  have  been  merely  to  drift 
helplessly  on  to  the  line  of  rocks,  so  we  continued  to  dash 
on  with  a  speed  which  almost  made  me  giddy,  and  pre- 
sently, to  my  intense  relief,  I  saw  a  place  on  the  right 
where  there  was  less  foam.  Yes,  it  was  the  pass,  it  was 
the  gate  of  safety,  we  must  make  for  it,  but  was  there 
any  hope  of  our  reaching  it  ? 

Our  coolies  bent  to  their  oars  and  rowed  so  hard  that 
they  were  in  danger  of  breaking  them,  whilst  the  sweat 
poured  down  their  shining  black  *skins.  I  had  just  time 
to  hoist  the  signal  "  Do  as  we  do  ! "  which  most  fortunately 
Baudry  and  the  captain  of  the  Dantec  understood.  They 
were  just  behind  us.  Now  up  with  the  oars  and  trust  to 
our  luck !  The  speed  increases  yet  more,  the  stream 
sweeps  the  boat  towards  the  pass,  where  it  flings  itself 
into  the  lower  reach :  we  feel  ourselves  falling,  we  shudder, 
we  realize  the  fatal  attraction  drawing  us  in  the  direction 
of  the  whirlpool ;  then  like  an  arrow  we  shoot  safely  through 
the  opening.  All  is  well  with  us  at  least.  Our  next 
anxiety  is  for  our  comrades ;  we  look  behind,  and  a 
cry  of  terror  bursts  from  our  lips.  The  Dantec,  which  is 
the  next  to  attempt  the  pass,  has  stopped  suddenly ;  her 
mast  is  swept  asunder,  and  has  been  flung  across  the 
bow  by  the  violence  of  the  shock.  All  the  men  were 
thrown  at  the  same  moment  to  the  bottom  of  the  boat, 
for  the  unlucky  barge,  which  had  tried  to  pass  about 
three  feet  on  one  side  of  the  place  where  we  had  got 
safely  through,  had  struck  against  a  rock  which  was  hidden 


FROM   FAFA  TO   SAY  255 

by  the  whirling  foam.  She  received  a  tremendous  blow, 
but  fortunately  did  not  sink. 

But  where  was  the  Aube?  That  was  our  care  now. 
She  was  approaching  rapidly,  borne  on  by  the  current,  but 
the  whole  pass  was  blocked  before  her.  She  would  crash  into 
the  DanteCy  and  both  vessels  must  inevitably  be  wrecked. 

But  no !  Clouds  of  spray  dash  up  over  bow  and  stern 
alike  ;  Baudry  has  flung  out  the  anchor  and  the  grappling- 
iron  :  oh  that  they  may  grip  properly ! 

Thank  God!  They  have.  The  Aube  stops  short  some 
three  hundred  yards  at  least  from  the  Dantec  at  the  brink 
of  the  rapid. 

But  what  in  the  world  is  up  now?  ThQ  Aube  is  tilted 
at  an  angle  of  some  45  degrees !  The  force  of  the  current 
is  such  that  it  has  taken  her  in  the  rear  and  forced  her 
into  this  extraordinary  position,  whilst  the  grappling-chains 
and  those  of  the  anchor  are  strained  to  the  uttermost, 
producing  the  terrifying  result  described. 

I  now  moored  the  Davoust  to  the  bank,  for  we  must 
try  to  save  our  other  boats. 

With  regard  to  the  Dantec  it  was  a  simple  affair  enough, 
for  she  is  a  wonderful  little  craft,  answering  readily  to  the 
helm,  and  so  buoyant  that  we  got  off  with  no  worse 
damage  than  the  bursting  asunder  of  a  couple  of  planks 
of  her  bottom.  I  sent  Digui  to  help  the  men  on  board 
of  her,  and  she  got  safely  through. 

The  rescue  of  the  Aube  was  a  more  difficult  matter, 
especially  as  her  rudder  had  got  broken  in  the  struggle. 
The  anchor  was  raised  all  right,  but  when  it  came  to  the 
grappling-iron  we  could  not  make  it  budge ;  it  had  probably 
got  jammed  between  two  rocks,  and  all  our  efforts  to 
move  it  were  in  vain,  indeed  they  only  seemed  to  fix  it 
more  firmly. 

Driven  on  by  the  wind  and  whirled  round  by  the  strong 


256  THE    EXPLORATION    OF   THE    NIGER 

eddies  of  the  current,  the  unfortunate  barge  began  to 
describe  semicircles  round  her  own  grappHng-iron.  Of 
course  when  we  once  cut  the  chain  there  would  be  no 
time  to  steer  her,  and  we  must  therefore  manage  to  divide 
it  exactly  at  the  moment  when  she  was  opposite  to  the 
opening  she  had  to  pass  through.  One  second  too  soon 
or  too  late  and  she  would  be  lost. 

I  had  climbed  to  the  top  of  a  little  ridge,  and  with  fast 
beating  heart  I  watched  Baudry  making  his  dispositions 
for  the  manoeuvre  he  had  to  attempt.  A  Tuareg  chose 
this  moment  of  awful  suspense  to  tap  me  on  the  shoulder 
and  greet  me  with  the  formal  salutation,  Salam  radicum 
mahindia,  and  you  can  imagine  how  much  notice  I  took 
of  him. 

Without  being  at  all  put  out  by  my  silence,  however, 
he  went  on — 

"  I  see  that  you  are  in  trouble.  I  have  watched  all 
that  has  been  going  on  from  my  camp  behind  the  hills, 
and  ever  since  early  morning  I  have  felt  sure  that  you 
were  all  lost.  But  God  has  saved  you  and  your  people. 
I  have  forbidden  my  tribe  to  come  and  bother  you,  for 
you  know  that  we  always  beg  of  every  one.  Well,  I  am 
going  now,  but  if  you  have  need  of  us,  Tuaregs  and  negroes 
alike  are  ready  to  help  you,  you  have  only  to  send  me  a 
messenger.  Our  Amenokal  has  ordered  us  to  meet  your 
wishes." 

As  he  finished  his  speech,  I  saw  Digui  deal  a  great  blow 
to  the  chain  of  the  grappling-iron.  The  Aube  fell  into 
the  rapid,  but  she  could  not  avoid  the  rock  on  which  the 
Dantec  had  struck  already.  She  strikes,  and  the  whole 
of  her  starboard  side  is  completely  immersed.  Is  she 
staved  in  ?  No,  her  speed  is  such  that  she  rushes  on  as 
if  nothing  had  happened.  She  is  saved.  A  moment  later 
she  is  moored  beside  the  Davoust, 


FROM   FAFA  TO   SAY  257 

"  Not  so  much  as  a  hole  in  her,  Baudry ! "  I  cried. 

"  No,  I  don't  think  there  is,"  he  repHed,  "  but  we  had  a 
narrow  escape."  We  overhauled  her,  and  there  was  not  a 
leak  anywhere.  In  fact,  Baudry  declared  that  her  planks 
were  really  more  watertight  than  ever. 

Then  my  Tuareg,  who  had  not  gone  away  after  all,  but 
whom  I  had  completely  forgotten,  spoke  to  me  again  : 
*'  Eiihi !  "  he  said,  which  means  simply  "  look  !  "  but  his 
great  wild  black  eyes  shone  with  pleasure  from  out  of  his 
veil  as  if  some  piece  of  good  luck  had  happened  to  himself 

Now  are  these  Tuaregs  brutes  ?  are  they  men  who  can 
only  be  swayed  by  interested  motives?  What  nonsense 
to  say  they  are ! 

Where  did  the  interested  motives  come  in  here  1  Would 
it  not  have  been  better  for  him  if  our  boats  had  all  been 
sucked  down  in  the  rapids?  We  ourselves  and  all  our 
goods  would  then  have  been  his  lawful  prey. 

May  Providence  only  grant  that  I  never  find  any  of 
my  fellow-countrymen  worse  than  the  Tuaregs. 

You  may  be  sure  the  brave  fellow  got  his  parcel  of 
goods  and  many  other  things  as  well.  With  his  long 
swinging  step  he  went  off  to  his  people  again,  shouting 
to  us  by  way  of  adieu,  "  Ikfak  iallah  el  Kheir  "  ("  may  God 
give  thee  all  good  things  !  ") 

This  was,  however,  but  the  first  of  the  Labezenga  rapids, 
and  that  the  easiest.  We  had  scarcely  gone  a  hundred 
yards  further  when  we  came  to  a  regular  cataract  some 
two  feet  high,  barring  our  passage.  On  one  side  rose  lofty 
heights,  on  the  left  the  stream  was  broken  into  several 
arms  by  islands.  In  fact,  there  did  not  seem  to  be  any 
opening  on  either  side,  and  we  were  all  but  in  despair  of 
getting  through  this  time. 

Baudry  spent  the  whole  afternoon  with  our  guide  from 
Karu,  seeking  a  practicable  pass,  but  everywhere  the  scene 


2S8  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

before  him  was  most  forbidding,  one  cataract  succeeding 
another  and  alternating  with  boiling  whirlpools,  whilst  the 
current  rushed  on  at  a  rate  of  seven  or  eight  miles  at  the 
least.  The  river  simply  seems  to  writhe  in  its  course,  and 
here  and  there  it  dashes  backwards  and  forwards  from  one 
side  to  the  other  of  its  bed  as  if  in  a  state  of  frenzy.  There 
must  be  a  difference  of  something  like  seven  feet  in  the 
height  of  the  water. 

The  least  impracticable  place  seemed  to  be  on  the  left 

of  our  anchorage  be- 
tween two  islands, 
but  I  never  should 
have  believed  that 
any  boat  could  pass 
through  even  that. 
We  had,  however,  to 
make  the  venture,  and 
any  delay  would  only 
render  it  more  difficult,  for  the  water  was  falling  rapidly. 

On  the  morning  of  Sunday  the  15th  Father  Hacquart 
celebrated  mass  and  we  then  prepared  for  the  passage. 
The  crew  of  our  two  big  barges  was  not  strong  enough  to 
navigate  both  at  once,  so  we  decided  to  send  each  vessel 
separately  past  the  dangerous  spots,  supplementing  one 
crew  from  the  other,  and  later  we  always  adopted  this 
plan,  which  worked  well  on  emergencies. 

Digui  was  the  only  one  of  our  captains  who  could 
manage  such  tours  de  force,  for  really  there  is  no  other 
word  for  the  work  he  had  to  perform.  Idris,  the  quarter- 
master of  the  Aube,  rather  loses  his  head  amongst  the 
rapids,  and  is  absolutely  no  good  as  a  leader.  Of  course  all 
that  can  be  done  is  to  give  a  general  indication  of  the 
course  to  be  pursued,  and  when  the  manoeuvre  has  once 
begun  everything  must  be  left  to  the  intelligence  of  the 


THE    '  AUBE      IN   THE   RAPIDS. 


FROM   FAFA  TO   SAY  259 

pilot,  and  Digui  alone  of  all  my  men  was  really  worthy  to 
be  trusted  at  the  helm. 

We  fortified  ourselves  with  a  good  cup  of  coffee,  feeling 
that  it  might  be  our  last,  and  the  Davoust  started,  Baudry 
following  us  in  a  canoe. 

The  scene  before  us  was  very  much  what  it  had  been 
the  day  before — a  narrow  pass,  a  diabolical  current  produc- 
ing an  impression  of  unfathomable  depth,  which  made  our 
hearts  sink  and  our  breath  come  in  gasps.  On  either  side 
the  water  whirled  and  surged  and  roared  unceasingly 
as  it  dashed  over  the  huge  rocks.  Suddenly  there  was 
a  tremendous  shock,  and  the  boat  seemed  to  slide  away 
from  under  our  feet.  It  was  the  Davoiisfs  turn  to-day. 
A  hidden  rock  had  battered  a  hole  in  her  bow  in  my 
cabin.  Through  the  gap,  some  20  inches  big,  the  water 
came  in  in  floods,  and  in  less  than  ten  seconds  it  was 
a  couple  of  feet  deep. 

But  it  was  written  in  the  book  of  fate  that  we  were  to 
go  down  to  the  sea  in  the  Davoust,  and  in  spite  of  all  our 
misfortunes,  in  spite  of  everything  being  against  us,  in 
spite  of  reason,  in  spite  of  logic,  something  always  turned  up 
to  save  us  even  at  what  seemed  the  very  last  moment.  The 
expected  miracle  always  happened,  and  it  is  no  exaggeration 
to  say  that  we  experienced  dozens  of  such  miracles. 

We  were  going  at  such  a  rate  when  we  struck  the  rock 
that  for  one  instant  the  barge  remained  as  it  were 
suspended  on  it,  but  the  next  it  was  over  it  and  in  deep 
water  again. 

It  so  happened,  as  good  luck  would  have  it,  that  my 
servant  Mame  was  in  my  cabin  when  the  boat  struck, 
and  the  water  rushed  in  at  his  very  feet. 

For  the  brave  fellow  to  tear  off  his  burnous,  roll  it  into 
a  ball  and  shove  it  into  the  gap  in  the  planks  was  the 
work  of  a  few  seconds ;   that  is  to  say,  of  just  the  time 


26o  THE   EXPLORATION    OF  THE   NIGER 

during  which  the  rock  held  us  fixed,  preventing  us  from 
settling  down.  We  were  saved  once  more.  The  miracle 
had  been  performed.  Only  do  not  fail  to  notice  what  a 
combination  of  circumstances  was  required  to  bring  about 
the  result :  the  immense  speed  with  which  we  were  going 
making  us  actually  mount  the  rock,  with  the  presence  of 
Mame  in  my  cabin  all  ready  to  stop  up  the  hole ! 

The  Dantec  passed  through  with  us  without  difficulty, 
and  it  was  now  the  turn  of  the  Aube.  Digui  attempted 
a  manoeuvre  with  her  of  positively  extraordinary  audacity. 
Knowing  all  too  well  that  the  rock  which  had  been  nearly 
fatal  to  us  could  not  possibly  be  evaded,  he  simply  flung 
the  boat  upon  the  grass-covered  bank,  and  she  climbed 
up,  driven  on  by  the  great  speed  of  the  current.  Then  he 
let  her  slide  down  again  backwards,  or,  to  use  the  strictly 
nautical  term,  to  fall  astern. 

For  all  this,  however,  we  every  one  of  us  had  to  pay 
toll  in  one  way  or  another  at  this  infernal  Labezenga. 
The  Aube  grated  on  the  point  of  a  hidden  rock  just  as 
she  was  about  to  join  us  again  in  quiet  water. 

It  was  now  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  we  had 
been  eight  hours  getting  over  a  little  more  than  half  a 
mile  in  a  straight  line.  We  were  famished  with  hunger, 
and  our  craving  for  food  became  almost  unbearable.  I 
constituted  myself  cook,  and  drawing  upon  our  reserves 
of  tinned  meats  and  preserved  vegetables,  which  we  all 
felt  we  were  justified  in  doing  under  the  circumstances, 
I  seized  what  came  first,  and  tumbled  everything  helter- 
skelter  into  a  saucepan.  We  all  devoured  the  result,  which 
I  called  tripes  d  la  Labezenga^  without  in  the  least  knowing 
what  we  were  eating.  I  will  give  the  recipe  to  all  who 
wish  to  emulate  Vatel :  tripes  a  la  mode  de  Caen,  truffles, 
esculent  boletus,  haricots  verts,  with  plenty  of  pepper  and 
spice,  served  hot.     In  N.  Lat.  14°  57'  30",  after  just  escap- 


FROM    FAFA  TO    SAY  261 

ing  from  drowning  or  from  death  in  the  jaws  of  a  crocodile, 
nothing  could  be  more  delicious,  but  somehow  I  have 
never  ventured  to  try  my  olla  podrida  again  in  France. 

After  a  little  rest,  which  was  indeed  well  earned,  Baudry 
went  with  Digui  to  the  village  of  Labezenga  to  try  and 
get  guides.  He  came  back  in  a  state  of  terror  at  what 
he  had  seen. 

For  more  than  a  month  we  had  to  lead  a  life  such  as 
I  have  just  described.  What  I  have  said  will  give  an 
idea  of  all  we  went  through.  I  don't  want  to  dwell  too 
much  on  our  sufferings  now  that  they  are  over.  Once 
embarked  on  such  an  enterprise  as  this  there  is  nothing 
for  it  but  to  go  straight  ahead,  and  by  degrees  one  gets 
accustomed  to  the  danger  to  a  certain  extent.  I  swear, 
however,  that  not  all  the  gold  in  the  world  would  induce 
me  to  do  again  what  we  did  on  this  trip  under  similar 
conditions.  Ten  times  a  day  at  least  we  had  to  face  these 
awful  rapids,  to  go  through  all  the  agony  of  suspense, 
succeeded  by  the  awful  sensation  of  passing  over  the 
obstacles  before  us,  whilst  the  boat  seemed  to  rush  from 
beneath  us  and  plunge  into  the  foam,  from  which  it  seemed 
simply  impossible  that  she  should  ever  again  emerge. 

Or  again  some  rock  barred  our  passage,  and  only  by 
force  of  moving  were  we  able  to  make  our  way  inch  by 
inch  against  the  current  which  threatened  to  sweep  us 
away.  Then,  as  we  literally  scraped  the  rock,  we  knew 
that  two  or  three  inches  made  all  the  difference  between 
life  and  death !  For  there  would  have  been  no  hope  of 
escape  if  we  were  once  upset  in  these  awful  rapids.  Death 
would  have  been  inevitable,  for  the  best  swimmer  could 
not  have  made  head  against  such  currents  as  these,  but 
would  have  been  dashed  to  pieces  by  them  against  the 
rocks. 

Or  supposing  that  by  a  miracle  he  should  escape  death 


262  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

by  drowning  or  by  being  flung  upon  the  rocks,  a  yet  more 
awful  danger  awaited  him  after  he  had  safely  passed  the 
rapids,  for  beneath  all  of  them  many  terrible  crocodiles  lie 
concealed,  on  the  watch  for  the  luckless  fish,  which,  rendered 
giddy  by  the  whirling  turmoil  of  water,  simply  swim  into 
their  jaws.  Crocodiles,  you  must  know,  do  not  kill  their 
prey  as  sharks  do,  and   no  death  could  be  more  terrible 


THE    '  AUBE      IN   THE   LAST   LABEZENGA  KAPID. 

than  that  inflicted  by  these  awful  denizens  of  the  Niger,  for 
they  plunge  their  victims  under  water  and  drown  them. 
Imagine  what  it  must  be  to  feel  oneself  gripped  by  the 
huge  teeth  of  a  merciless  brute  and  dragged  along  until 
death  from  suffocation  ensues. 

General  Skobeleff  said  one  day,  "  If  any  one  says  to  you 
that  he  has  never  been  afraid,  spit  in  his  face  and  tell  him 
he  is  a  liar  !  " 

I  don't  in  the  least  mind  owning  that  we  were  afraid, 


FROM    FAFA  TO    SAY  263 

that  we  knew  what  fear  was  day  by  day  for  a  whole 
month ;  fear  in  the  day  at  the  passage  of  every  fresh 
obstacle,  and  yet  greater  fear  in  the  night,  for  then  night- 
mare exaggerated  the  horrors  of  the  light,  crocodiles  and 
rapids  haunting  our  sleep  in  dreams  more  awful  even 
than  the  reality  had  been. 

I  challenge  in  advance  the  next  person  who  goes  down 


LOOKING  UP  STREAM  FROM  KATUGU. 

the  Niger  to  say  whether  I  have  exaggerated  anything  in 
this  account. 

We  had  to  push  on,  however,  and  the  first  thing  to 
be  done  was  to  replace  the  burnous  of  Mam^,  which  still 
served  as  a  plug  in  the  hole  in  the  Davoust,  with  something 
a  little  more  suitable  for  the  purpose.  We  had  brought 
with  us  a  piece  of  aluminium  to  meet  just  such  an  emerg- 
ency as  this,  but  we  had  neither  the  time  nor  the  means 
to  rivet   it  now.     So  we  cut  a  piece  of  wood   the  right 


264 


THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 


size  to  serve  provisionally,  and  fitted  it  into  the  hole, 
interposing  a  kind  of  mattress  of  tarred  oakum,  and 
making  the  whole  thing  taut  with  the  aid  of  two 
strong  bolts.  Some  putty  made  it  more  or  less  water- 
tight, and  anyhow  we  could  now  keep  our  Davoiist 
afloat. 

The  next  day,  the   i6th,  was  as  exciting  as   the   15th 


THE   CHIEF   OF   AYURU. 


had  been.  Three  very  strong  rapids  succeeded  each  other, 
completing  the  awful  pass  of  Labezenga.  At  each  one 
the  barges  were  halted  above  the  fall,  and  a  reconnaissance 
was  made,  then  they  passed  over  one  by  one,  with  the 
crew  strengthened  by  every  man  who  could  be  pressed 
into  the  service.  Digui  continued  to  show  wonderful  in- 
trepidity, a  quiet  audacity  and  courage,  and  a  readiness 
to  grasp  the  bearings  of  every  situation,  which  were  beyond 
all  praise.     We  can  really  say  without  exaggeration  that 


FROM    FAFA   TO    SAY  265 

we  owed  not  only  the  safety  of  our  boats,  but  our  very 
lives  to  him. 

A  little  creek  of  almost  calm  water  brought  us  to 
Katungu,  where  we  were  very  well  received  by  the 
inhabitants.  Here  we  procured  some  fresh  guides  who 
were  to  take  us  to  Ayuru. 

Rapids !  rapids !  and  yet  more  rapids !  As  we  ap- 
proached Ayuru  the  river  became  more  and  more  terrible ; 
we  struck  five  or  six  times  a  day,  again  and  again  narrowly 
escaping  the  staving  in  of  our  boats.  On  the  i8th,  however, 
we  safely  reached  Ayuru,  a  pretty  little  village  of  thatched 
huts  on  a  rocky  islet.  My  nerves  had  been  overstrained, 
and  in  the  evening  when  we  were  at  dinner  I  fainted  away. 
I  did  not  come  to  again  for  two  whole  hours,  and  was 
very  much  surprised  when  I  recovered  consciousness  to 
find  myself  lying  on  a  mat  wrapped  up  in  coverlids,  and 
being  fanned  by  a  coolie  who  was  keeping  watch  over  me. 

From  Ayuru  I  sent  twenty  rifles  to  Madidu,  in  token 
of  my  gratitude  for  the  way  in  which  his  people  had 
treated  us. 

We  pushed  on  on  the  19th  for  Kendadji,  but  navigation 
was,  if  possible,  more  difficult  than  ever.  It  became 
almost  impossible  to  make  our  way  amongst  the  countless 
islands  impeding  the  stream  and  breaking  it  up  into  a 
confusing  number  of  arms  each  with  rapids  of  its  own. 
These  islets  were  all  alike  clothed  with  grand  vegetation 
such  as  palms,  sycamores,  and  other  tropical  trees. 

The  two  large  boats  both  struck  on  the  same  reck  and 
the  Davoust  re-opened  her  old  wound.  How  was  it  that 
in  spite  of  this  neither  of  our  vessels  sunk  and  our  ranks 
remained  unbroken  ?  Only  by  a  miracle  !  I  have  used  that 
word  before,  I  know,  but  really  it  is  not  too  strong  in  this 
case  either. 

At  last,  however,  after  surmounting  unheard-of  difficulties, 


266  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE    NIGER 

getting  through  apparently  impossible  obstacles,  and  after 
Digui  had  executed  many  an  admirable  manoeuvre,  we 
arrived  opposite  Kendadji. 

Alas !  our  troubles  were  not  yet  over.  The  river  in 
front  of  us  was  surging  terribly,  the  bed  everywhere 
encumbered  by  large  flints.     Where  could  we  pass  ? 

Hitherto  the  natives,  whether  Tuaregs  or  negroes,  had 


AN    ISLAND   BETWEEN    AYURU    AND    KENDADJI. 

helped  us  to  the  best  of  their  ability.  The  orders  of 
Madidu  had  been  strictly  obeyed,  and  no  obstacles  what- 
ever had  been  thrown  in  our  way.  But  at  Kendadji  all 
was  changed.  Our  guides  from  Katungu  had  gone  to  the 
village,  having  begged  us  to  let  them  go  and  palaver 
before  we  appeared,  and  we  were  kept  waiting  all  day  for 
the  envoy  of  the  chief  to  listen  to  reason,  only  to  be  told 
at  last  that  the  people  were  afraid  of  us,  for  a  relation  of 
ours  (Captain  Toutee)  had  killed  ever  so  many  at  Sinder 
the  year  before. 


FROM   FAFA   TO   SAY  267 

I  did  my  best  to  reassure  the  messenger,  and  he  promised 
that  the  chief  himself  should  come  to  see  us  the  next 
day.  He  did  in  fact  do  so,  and  at  last  let  us  have  some 
guides. 

Digui  had  gone  to  reconnoitre  the  rapids  further  down 
stream,  and  about  noon  he  returned  in  a  great  state  of 
agitation.     "  We  must  start  at  once,"  he  said,  "  there  was 


A   ROCKY   HILL   NEAR    KENDADJI. 

just  enough  water  to  float  our  boats  now,  but  the  river  was 
sinking  rapidly,  and  in  an  hour  it  would  perhaps  be  too 
late." 

What  a  passage  it  was !  We  pushed  on,  actually  moored,  so 
to  speak,  to  an  anchor  and  a  grappling-iron,  using  first  one 
and  then  the  other,  sometimes  both  according  to  circum- 
stances. We  kept  on  bumping  against  rocks,  here,  there, 
and  everywhere,  but  fortunately  we  were  going  too  fast 
to  do  the  boats  much  harm.  Then  we  had  to  fling  ourselves 
into  a  perfect  labyrinth  of  obstacles,  striking  against  them 


268  THE   EXPLORATION    OF  THE   NIGER 

again  and  again,  but  fortunately  without  making  any  fresh 
holes  in  our  much-tried  barks.  Still  more  rocks  ahead  ! 
Quousque  tandem  ! 

At  about  eleven  o'clock  on  the  22nd  we  reached  Tumare. 
The  chief  at  first  refused  to  give  us  guides,  but  a  liberal 
present  won  him  over. 

Things  seemed  likely  to  be  worse  rather  than  better, 
for  we  had  not  gone  more  than  four  and  a  half  miles 
during  the  whole  of  the  23rd.  The  river  was  now  but 
a  river  in  name ;  a  mere  maze  of  narrow  channels  between 
innumerable  islets  covered  with  fine  trees  and  millet.  The 
bed  of  these  channels  is  encumbered  with  rocks,  amongst 
which  our  barges  had  to  follow  a  serpentine  course  for 
which  they  were  little  fitted.  At  two  o'clock  we  reached 
the  village  of  Desa,  and  the  evening  was  wasted  in  a 
palaver  without  result.  A  feeling  of  sullen  hostility  against 
us  was  everywhere  manifested,  and  the  first  question  the 
natives  asked  was  whether  we  were  the  same  white  men 
who  had  come  the  year  before.  At  last,  however,  we 
succeeded  in  getting  some  guides  who  took  us  as  far  as 
Farca. 

Our  coolies  told  us  that  the  crocodiles  lay  their  eggs  at 
this  time  of  the  year,  when  it  always  rains  and  blows  hard. 
On  this  account  we  were  obliged  to  remain  anchored 
opposite  Desa  all  the  morning.  We  started  at  two  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon.  What  a  river  we  had  to  pass  down! 
Before  we  arrived  at  the  anchorage,  where  we  remained  for 
the  night,  we  had  to  go  through  a  pass  not  much  more 
than  five  yards  wide. 

The  people  of  Desa,  we  were  told  by  the  natives  above 
Gao,  are  Kurteyes  of  a  very  fierce  and  inhospitable 
disposition,  and,  truth  to  tell,  their  first  reception  of  us  was 
anything  but  cordial.  "  What  had  we  come  to  their  village 
for  ?  "  they  asked.     "  Why  had  we  not  stopped  at  a  bigger 


FROM   FAFA  TO   SAY  269 

one  ? "  By  dint  of  the  exercise  of  much  patience,  and 
the  use  of  many  soothing  arguments,  we  gradually  suc- 
ceeded in  appeasing  them.  They  gave  us  an  original 
version  of  the  fight  which  had  taken  place  with  Captain 
Toutee  the  year  before.  It  was  not,  according  to  them, 
with  the  Tuaregs  that  he  had  fought,  but  with  the  people 
of  Sinder. 

All  the  negroes  of  the  riveraine  districts  of  the  Niger 
wear  the  same  kind  of  costume,  including  the  veil,  and  use 
the  same  kind  of  weapons  as  the  Tuaregs,  which  explains 
the  mistake.  The  Tuaregs  had  been  awaiting  the  expedi- 
tion at  Satoni,  intending  to  attack  it,  but  it  had  made  a 
detour  and  avoided  them.  The  Wagobes  of  Sinder  by 
order  of  Bokar  Wandieidu,  and  also  because  a  sentinel  had 
by  accident  killed  a  nephew  of  the  chief  of  the  village, 
attacked  the  canoes  of  the  Toutee  expedition,  attributing 
what  they  thought  was  a  retreat  to  fear.  Fifty  natives 
were  killed,  and  the  memory  of  their  fate  was  still 
fresh. 

About  noon  the  next  day  we  were  opposite  Satoni,  and 
we  anchored  the  same  evening  near  the  right  bank,  where 
we  could  make  out  some  lofty  dunes  on  which  were 
perched  three  villages  and  a  Tuareg  encampment. 

I  had  a  presentiment  that  we  had  now  reached  a  critical 
and  most  perilous  moment  of  our  expedition.  All  the 
defiance  we  had  recently  met  with,  and  the  unwillmgness 
to  help  us  was  of  bad  augury,  and  we  were,  as  a  matter 
of  fact,  enth'ely  at  the  mercy  of  the  natives. 

Higher  up  stream,  when  the  Kel  es  Suk  and  the 
Tademeket  wanted  to  bar  the  road  against  us,  the 
river  was  free  from  obstacles,  and  they  were  quite  unable 
to  stop  us.  We  could  afford  to  laugh  at  their  futile  efforts. 
Below  Ansongo,  too,  though  the  difficulties  of  navigation 
were  considerable,  we  could  to  some  extent  count  upon 


270  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

the  goodwill  of  the  people,  who  would,  if  they  were  not 
particularly  ready  to  serve  us,  at  least  remain  neutral. 

Now,  alas !  I  felt  that  at  any  moment  the  smouldering 
powder  might  explode,  for  at  our  approach  the  women 
and  children  hid  themselves.  To  get  guides  I  had  to  use 
every  possible  means :  caresses,  presents,  even  threats,  for 
without  guides  we  should  be  utterly  lost. 

The  stream  here  divides  literally  into  thousands  of 
channels ;  how  then  were  we  to  choose  the  best  one 
amongst  perhaps  ten  opposite  to  us  at  a  time  ?  Then  again, 
in  some  pass  when  we  are  being  swept  along  in  the  one 
finally  chosen  as  the  best,  the  least  hesitation,  the  smallest 
slip  in  steering,  and  our  boat  would  be  lost,  staved  in, 
utterly  wrecked.  Here  and  there,  too,  massive  rocks  rose 
on  either  side  of  us,  so  covered  with  dense  vegetation  that 
twenty  men  armed  with  bows  and  arrows  or  spears  could 
easily  have  made  an  end  of  us. 

A  little  after  our  arrival  at  Satoni  we  were  hailed  from 
a  canoe  containing  the  son  of  the  chief  of  Farca,  who  could 
not  refrain  from  showing  his  satisfaction  when  he  found 
we  were  not  the  same  white  men  as  those  who  had  come 
the  year  before.  We  had  scarcely  entered  into  conversa- 
tion with  him  when  three  Tuaregs  also  arrived  to 
interview  us. 

One  was  a  relation  of  Bokar  Wandieidu,  chief  of  the 
Logomaten,  another  his  blacksmith,  and  the  third  a  young 
man,  the  son  of  El  Mekki,  chief  of  the  Kel  es  Suk  of 
Ansongo. 

The  situation  was  becoming  interesting.  Our  throats 
were  parched  with  our  anxiety.  Would  peace  or  war  be 
the  issue  of  the  interview  ? 

"  Bokar  sends  you  greeting,"  began  his  messenger,  "  and 
bids  me  inform  you  that  at  the  news  of  your  approach  he 
collected  a  troop  of  his  warriors ;  the  Wagobes  of  Sinder, 


FROM   FAFA  TO   SAY  271 

the  Kourteyes,  the  Fulahs,  and  the  Toucouleurs  of  Amadu 
Cheiku,  have  held  a  palaver  with  him,  and  all  of  one 
accord  agreed  to  unite  their  forces,  and  bar  the  road 
against  you.  Some  Toucouleurs  are  now,  in  fact,  with 
Bokar  making  final  arrangements. 

"  Two  days  ago,  however,  the  young  man  you  see  here 
came  to  us,  sent  by  Madidu  to  order  us  not  merely  to 
do  you  no  harm,  but  to  aid  you  if  need  were.  Fear 
nothing,  therefore,  no  one  can  speak  further  after  the 
Amenokal  has  spoken.  If  you  flung  a  dagger  up  in  the 
air,  saying,  '  That  is  for  Madidu  ! '  it  would  not  touch  the 
ground  again  until  it  reached  his  hands." 

I  had  not  then  been  mistaken  ;  a  formidable  coalition  had 
been  formed  against  us,  and  had  it  taken  action  we  should, 
I  repeat  once  more,  have  been  hopelessly  lost.  True  to 
his  word,  worthy  son  of  the  noble  race  to  which  he  belongs, 
chief  of  the  most  powerful  of  the  confederations  of  Nigritia, 
the  Amenokal  had  interposed  his  all-powerful  influence 
on  our  behalf  just  at  the  right  moment.  I  assert  once 
more,  and  would  have  all  my  fellow-countrymen  know 
it,  that  if  we  ever  get  home  again,  if  we  were  the  first  to 
go  down  the  Niger  to  the  sea,  and  to  trace  the  course  of 
that  mighty  river,  if  we  did  not  leave  our  skeletons  to 
bleach  upon  its  banks,  it  was  due  to  the  mighty  chief  of  the 
Awellimiden,  to  Madidu  Ag  el  Khotab,  and  to  him  alone. 

I  do  not  think  I  owe  such  a  debt  of  gratitude  as  this 
to  any  man  of  my  own  race ! 

His  task  no  sooner  accomplished,  however,  our  young 
friend,  the  son  of  El  Mekki,  became  rather  a  bore,  for  he 
had  taken  it  into  his  head  to  try  and  convert  us  to  the 
religion  of  Islam.  Truth  to  tell,  the  reasons  he  gave  for 
this  attempt  at  proselytism  did  more  honour  to  his  heart 
than  to  his  head. 

"We   know  each   other   now,"  he   said,  "and   you  are 


/ 


272  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

just  going  away.  We  like  you,  and  we  think  that  you 
hke  us.  We  cannot  hope  ever  to  see  you  again  in  this 
Hfe,  do  not  deprive  us  of  the  chance  of  meeting  you  once 
more  in  another  world. 

"When  we  are  all  dead,  we  faithful  followers  of  the 
true  faith  will  go  to  enjoy  everlasting  happiness  in 
Paradise.  You,  however,  who  are  good  fellows  enough, 
will  not  be  able  to  cross  El  Sirat,  the  bridge  leading  to 
the  gardens  of  Paradise,  but  will  have  to  go  to  Hell,  where 
you  will  burn  eternally,  and  we  shall  be  able  to  do  nothing 
for  you  but  pity  you. 

"Well  then,"  he  went  on,  "do  not  remain  in  this  evil 
case ;  stay  amongst  us  for  a  time,  and  you  shall  be 
instructed  in  the  essentials  of  our  faith.  We  shall  thus 
be  enabled  to  hope  to  meet  you  again  in  eternity." 

The  most  amusing  part  of  it  all  was  that  Father 
Hacquart,  whose  Arab  costume  had  especially  attracted 
our  young  visitor,  was  the  chief  victim  of  the  ardent 
proselytism  of  the  earnest  Tuareg  believer. 

For  a  missionary  to  be  attacked  in  this  way  was  really 
too  comic,  and  the  Father  roared  with  laughter  over  the 
incident. 

When  night  fell  we  had  to  separate,  and  our  friend  left 
us,  quite  melancholy  at  the  failure  of  all  his  eloquence. 

We  arrived  at  Farca  the  next  morning,  the  26th,  at 
about  two  o'clock. 

The  chief  of  the  village,  brother  of  the  chief  of  Sinder, 
and  father  of  the  young  man  who  had  been  killed  by 
Captain  Toutee's  sentinel,  with  a  number  of  other  notables, 
came  to  see  us. 

They  confirmed  all  we  had  already  been  told ;  it  had 
really  been  with  the  people  of  Sinder,  not  with  the  Tuaregs, 
that  the  preceding  expedition  had  come  to  blows. 

Bokar  had  sent   instructions  to  the  Wagobes  to  treat 


FROM    FAFA   TO    SAY  273 

us  well,  and  they  themselves  intended  to  act  as  our  guides. 
They  begged  me,  however,  not  to  anchor  at  the  village 
of  Sinder,  though  I  was  particularly  anxious  to  visit  that 
important  centre,  which  is  the  chief  mart  for  the  vast 
quantities  of  cereals  cultivated  in  the  neighbourhood. 

Farca  is  an  island  completely  covered  with  a  tropical 
forest,  and  a  similar  mass  of  verdure  is  to  be  seen  on 
another  islet  opposite  to  it.  The  village,  which  had  been 
deserted  after  the  fracas  with  Captain  Toutee's  people, 
was  just  beginning  to  be  rebuilt. 

This  was  the  furthest  point  reached  by  the  expedition 
which  had  preceded  ours,  and  is  situated  in  N.  Lat.  14°  29' 
and  Long.  1°  22'  55",  thirty  kilometres  from  Sinder,  and 
eight  hundred  and  sixty  from  Timbuktu.^ 

The  connection  between  the  expeditions  which  had 
started  from  the  coast  of  Guinea  and  those  which  had 
come  from  the  French  Sudan  had  at  last  been  achieved, 
and  the  Niger  had  been  navigated  for  its  entire  course 
by  Frenchmen. 

Below  Farca,  the  stream  becomes  a  little  less  difficult. 

^  I  make  a  special  point  of  the  exact  situation  of  Farca.  Captain 
Toutee  says  in  a  note  to  his  book  on  Dahomey,  the  Niger,  and  the 
Tuaregs,  that  he  believed  it  to  be  much  nearer  Timbuktu,  but  he  had 
not  taken  any  astronomical  observations,  and  he  had  made  a  mistake 
of'5'day  in  his  journal.  This  rectification  will  appear  somewhat  tardy 
after  the  articles  published  on  his  return  in  the  newspapers,  and  in 
the  Bulletin  of  the  Comite  de  LAfrique  fra7t(;aise^  which  led  to  its 
being  supposed  that  Farca  is  on  the  outskirts  of  the  last  French  post 
in  the  Sudan.  Had  this  been  so,  the  results  of  our  expedition  would 
have  been  greatly  minimized.     Suiim  cuique. 

On  the  subject  of  the  recognition  of  the  French  protectorate  by  the 
people  of  Farca,  there  must  have  been,  to  say  the  least,  a  very  great 
error  of  interpretation.  Our  readers  have  been  able  to  discover  for 
themselves  that  unfortunately  French  influence  does  not  extend  so  far. 
Indeed,  the  hostile  attitude  of  the  people  of  Sinder,  who  are  the 
relations  and  feudal  superiors  of  those  of  Farca,  and  who  attacked 
Captain  Toutde,  would  have  been  enough  to  prove  it  without  anything 
else. 

T 


274  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

We  were  followed  the  day  after  by  a  regular  fleet  of 
canoes.  A  nephew  of  the  chief  of  Sinder,  named  Boso, 
accompanied  us.  I  now  felt  that,  at  least  until  we  came 
into  actual  contact  with  Amadu  Cheiku,  all  danger  from 
the  hostility  of  the  natives  was  at  an  end. 

The  islands  dotting  the  river  are  inhabited  by  Kurteyes 
and  Wagob6s,  and  it  is  to  the  latter  tribe  that  the  inhabit- 


ants of  Sinder  belong,  not  to  the  Songhay  race.  Their 
name  clearly  indicates  that  they  are  Soninkes,  and  there- 
fore related  to  our  Saracolais  coolies.  Saracolais,  Marka, 
Dafins,  etc.,  are  really  all  mere  local  names  of  the 
Soninkes.  It  seems  at  first  surprising  that  a  race  supposed 
to  be  native  to  the  districts  watered  by  the  Senegal,  should 
be  found  so  far  away  from  the  basin  of  that  river  ;  but  later 
still,  nearer  to  Say,  w^e  came  upon  another  tribe  of  the  same 
origin,  the  Sillabes,  on  the  subject  of  which  there  cannot 


FROM    FAFA   TO    SAY  275 

be  the  slightest  doubt,  for  they  have  preserved  the  language 
of  their  ancestors. 

A  little  above  Sinder  the  bed  of  the  river  becomes  again 
encumbered  with  rocks,  making  navigation  difficult,  at  least 
in  the  channels  our  guides  made  us  choose  near  the  left 
bank. 

My  own  private  opinion  is,  however,  that  there  was  a 
better  channel  nearer  the  village  which  these  guides 
managed  for  us  to  avoid. 

On  the  evening  of  the  28th,  we  came  abreast  of  the 
huts  of  Sinder,  and  a  deputation  from  the  village  brought 
us  some  provisions.  I  expressed  my  intention  of  going 
to  see  the  chief,  but  I  was  dissuaded  from  doing  so  on 
one  pretext  or  another,  and  when  I  insisted  I  was  told — 
"  Well,  come  if  you  will,  but  if  you  want  to  please  us,  you 
will  not  come.  We  know  now  that  you  do  not  intend  to 
do  us  any  harm,  but  the  last  white  man  who  passed  this 
way  killed  a  lot  of  people,  and  the  grief  of  the  mothers 
and  wives  of  the  dead  will  be  renewed  if  they  see  you." 

Whether  this  excuse  was  true  or  not,  it  seemed  to  me 
a  very  reasonable  one.  We  had  had  such  an  exceedingly 
narrow  escape  of  a  conflict  with  the  Tuaregs,  that  I  was 
determined  to  be  extremely  prudent.  I  did  not  see  Sinder 
after  all,  but  I  console  myself  with  the  thought  that  at 
least  those  who  come  after  us  will  not  suffer  from  the 
memory  of  anything  we  did,  and  will  not,  through  our 
fault,  incur  any  of  the  dangers  we  escaped. 

Below  Sinder  the  river  again  became  such  as  to  make 
us  almost  despair.  After  having  painfully  made  our  way 
for  about  a  mile,  we  found  some  fresh  guides  waiting  for 
us.  Evidently  the  natives  were  eager  to  speed  the  parting 
guest !  "  I  don't  know  however  we  shall  get  through,"  said 
Digui ;  but  we  did  manage  it  once  more,  though  the 
Aube  scraped  on  a  rock  without  doing  herself  much  harm. 


276 


THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 


In  the  course  of  the  whole  day  we  only  made  about  four 
and  a  half  miles. 

Monday  the  30th  was  again  a  most  exciting  day.  The 
Aube  struck  no  less  than  three  times,  and  the  last  accident 
in  the  Kokoro  pass  was  a  serious  one.  It  really  seemed 
as  if  our  troubles  would  never  end !  The  unfortunate 
barge  had  three  planks  of  her  bottom  staved  in,  and  the 
water  rushed  in  as  if  she  were  made  of  wicker-work. 


OUR   SINDER   GUIDES. 


The  scenery  on  the  banks  was  grand ;  big  villages 
alternating  with  great  plantations  of  millet.  All  the  islands 
have  a  coating  of  extremely  fertile  vegetable  mould, 
unwholesome  enough  in  itself,  but  which  the  natives  have 
known  how  to  turn  to  account. 

At  our  anchorage  we  found  our  old  friend  the  black- 
smith of  Bokar  Wandiei'du,  whose  master  himself  it 
appears  had  wished  to  see  us,  and  had  waited  for  us  until 
the  day  before.     Amadu  had  made  one  last  effort  to  turn 


FROM   FAFA  TO   SAY  277 

him  against  us,  and  had  sent  couriers  to  him  to  urge  him 
to  attack  us,  but  Bokar  had  replied  by  quoting  the  orders 
of  Madidu,  saying  that  all  he  had  to  do  was  to  obey  them. 

The  morning  of  the  31st  began  by  the  Aube  striking 
again,  but  after  that  the  river  became  quite  perfect.  It 
had  never  been  so  good  anywhere  before,  and  nothing 
impeded  its  course  but  a  few  low  rocks,  which  were  just 
enough  to  relieve  the  monotony  of  the  voyage. 

This  was  not  of  course  likely  to  last,  and  very  soon 
impediments  again  became  numerous.  It  was  now  the 
turn  of  the  Davoust  to  fling  herself  upon  a  pointed  rock, 
escaping  by  a  hair's-breadth  from  serious  damage.  We 
passed  the  big  villages,  or  rather  the  collections  of  villages 
known  as  Malo,  containing  perhaps  as  many  as  10,000 
inhabitants,  and  we  halted  for  the  night  a  little  above 
Azemay,  opposite  to  a  difficult  pass,  which  would  have 
to  be  reconnoitred  before  we  could  attempt  it.  We  had 
made  1 5^  miles  ! — a  very  good  day  ! 

At  our  anchorage  we  met  a  man  named  Osman,  from 
Say,  who  had  come,  he  told  us,  to  see  one  of  his  relations, 
but  being  uneasy  as  to  our  intentions  with  regard  to 
Amadu,  he  begged  us  to  give  him  passage  on  board  one 
of  our  boats. 

The  heat  was  now  becoming  most  oppressive,  and  to 
remain  stationary  for  a  whole  day  looking  at  the  white 
sheets  of  our  hydrographical  survey,  not  to  speak  of  all 
the  anxieties  of  our  position,  was  really  a  very  hard  task. 
We  consoled  ourselves,  however,  by  thinking  of  the  rest 
we  should  get  at  Say.  I  did  not,  however,  entirely  share 
the  confidence  of  my  companions,  especially  of  Dr.  Taburet, 
who,  always  optimistic,  indulged  in  visions  of  calabashes 
full  of  milk,  piles  of  eggs  and  other  luxuries,  building 
culinary  castles  in  the  air.  Hitherto,  whenever  we  had 
hoped    for    a    friendly   reception    we    had    always    been 


278  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

disappointed,  and  when  we  feared  hostility  from  the 
natives,  we  had  generally  been  kindly  welcomed.  The 
remembrance  of  Sinder  proves  that  this  was  the  case  with 
others.  Captain  Toutee  says  that  he  was  hailed  as  a 
liberator  there,  whilst  we  barely  escaped  ending  our  lives 
and  expedition  alike  at  that  fatal  spot. 

On  April  i  we  reached  Sansan-Haussa  about  two 
o'clock.  It  is  a  very  large  village,  but  we  were  disappointed 
in  it,  for  we  had  expected  to  find  it  encircled  by  a  tata  or 
earthen  wall,  its  name  of  Sansan  meaning  a  fortified  enceinte. 
Now  there  is  an  enceinte,  it  is  true,  but  it  is  made  of  straw  ! 
all  the  houses  are  also  constructed  of  straw.  To  make  up 
for  this,  the  granaries  for  storing  the  millet  are  really 
beautiful.  We  anchored  opposite  the  market-place,  where 
the  market,  it  appeared,  was  to  be  held  the  very  next  day. 
The  chief  of  the  village  came  to  see  us.  He  was  a 
Kurteye,  and  told  us  he  would  send  a  guide  with  us  to 
the  chief  of  his  tribe  at  Sorbo,  a  little  further  down  stream. 

After  a  night  during  which,  for  a  wonder,  our  rest  was 
not  disturbed  by  the  noise  of  roaring  rapids,  we  went  over 
and  anchored  opposite  the  left  bank  near  the  village  itself 
We  were  quickly  surrounded  by  a  crowd  of  men,  women, 
and  children,  all  alike  showing  a  confidence  in  us  to  which 
we  had  long  been  unaccustomed.  Those  who  were  ill 
flocked  to  Taburet,  and  dealers  in  iron  and  ostrich  feathers 
hastened  to  offer  us  their  wares.  The  feathers  we  found 
to  be  relatively  dear,  a  complete  set  being  worth  250,000 
cowries,  or  nearly  three  pounds  sterling.  A  caravan,  we 
were  told,  had  lately  arrived  from  Rhat,  which  had  greatly 
raised  the  value.  A  little  boy  from  Rhat,  of  about  twelve 
years  old,  came  to  see  us,  and  had  a  long  chat  with  Father 
Hacquart.  He  had  a  gris-gris  or  charm  made  for  us  by  a 
marabout  belonging  to  his  caravan,  to  protect  us  from 
the  rapids  we  still  had  to  encounter. 


FROM   FAFA  TO    SAY  279 

For  the  first  time  since  we  left  Gao  we  met  with  the 
valuable  kola  nuts  so  much  appreciated  by  the  negroes, 
and  I  gave  my  people  the  greatest  possible  pleasure  by 
distributing  quantities  of  this  delicacy  amongst  them. 
Each  nut  is  worth  some  150  cowries,  or  about  three- 
halfpence. 

Here,  as  the  reader  will  have  noticed,  we  begin  to  talk 
about  cowries  again.     I  have  already  said  that  these  little 


AT   SANSAN-HAUSSA. 


univalve  shells  of  the  African  coast  are  the  usual  currency 
from  the  source  of  the  Niger  to  Timbuktu. 

We  went  with  Father  Hacquart  to  return  the  visit  the 
chief  of  the  village  had  paid  us  the  evening  before.  He 
did  not  seem  to  wish  us  to  remain  long  in  his  country.  He 
was  afraid,  he  said.  Why?  we  asked.  It  was  evident 
that  the  Toucouleurs,  of  whom  there  were  a  good  many 
in  the  village,  had  prejudiced  him  against  us. 

Two  people  came  and  asked  us  to  give  them  a  passage, 


28o  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

one  a  Fulah  named  Mamadu  of  Mumi  in  Massina,  who  had 
been  here  for  nine  years  unable  to  get  away.  We  were  to 
have  a  good  deal  to  do  with  him  during  our  stay  at  Say. 

The  other  was  a  Toucouleur  named  Suleyman,  who 
spoke  Wolof,  and  had  followed  Amadu  Cheiku  in  his 
exodus  from  Nioro  to  Dunga.  He  was  a  poor  deaf  old 
man,  but  had  a  very  intelligent  face.  He  told  us  that  the 
whole  recompense  Amadu  had  given  him  for  his  long  and 
faithful  service  was  to  take  away  his  gun,  his  only  wealth, 
to  give  it  to  one  of  his  sofas  or  captives  taken  in  war.  This 
last  misfortune  had  disgusted  Suleyman  with  the  Holy 
War,  in  which  he  said  more  blows  than  pay  were  received, 
and  he  wanted  to  go  back  with  us  to  his  own  land  of 
Footah  on  the  Senegal,  the  reigning  chief  of  which  was  a 
relation  of  his. 

He  did  not  know  what  we  had  come  here  for.  He  did 
not  know  what  route  we  meant  to  take  on  our  way  back, 
and  surely  nothing  could  have  been  a  greater  mark  of 
confidence  in  us  than  this  readiness  of  one  of  our  worst 
enemies  to  trust  himself  to  us. 

At  first  I  rather  distrusted  the  man,  who  might  be 
a  spy,  or  worse,  a  traitor  sent  to  try  and  seduce  my  men 
from  their  duty.  However,  whilst  resolving  to  watch  him 
closely,  I  decided  to  take  him  with  us,  but  I  gave  him  a 
good  talking  to  to  begin  with,  saying — "  I  don't  know 
whether  you  are  a  liar  or  an  honest  fellow,  but  most  of 
your  relations  are  deceivers  and  humbugs,  and  it  is  no 
recommendation  in  my  eyes  that  you  belong  to  the 
Toucouleur  race.  However,  I  will  not  be  unjust,  for  I 
may  be  mistaken  about  you.  So  you  can  come  with  us, 
and  you  will  be  treated  as  if  you  were  one  of  my  own 
men.  If  we  have  plenty  you  shall  have  your  share,  and 
if  we  run  short  of  food  you  will  have  to  tighten  your  waist- 
band like  the  rest  of  us.     But  deceive  us  once,  only  once, 


FROM   FAFA  TO   SAY  281 

and  your  head  will  not  remain  on  your  shoulders  for  a 
moment.  You  are  warned,  please  yourself  about  going 
or  stopping." 

I  must  add  here  that  Suleyman,  the  Toucouleur,  or, 
as  he  was  at  once  called  amongst  us,  Suleyman  Foutanke, 
was  always  true  to  us.  I  took  him  with  me  to  Saint  Louis, 
and  he  is  now  enjoying  in  his  natal  village  a  repose  which 
must  indeed  be  grateful  to  him  after  his  thirty  years' 
wanderings. 

We  started  again  at  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and 
in  the  evening  we  halted  for  the  night  not  far  from 
Sorbo,  where  we  were  to  see  the  chief  of  the  Kurteyes. 

We  went  to  see  him  the  next  day,  and  passed  the 
morning  at  Sorba.  We  were  very  well  received  by  Yusuf 
Osman.  Don't  tell  him  that  I  have  revealed  his  name 
to  the  public,  for  amongst  the  Kurteyes  it  is  very  bad 
form  to  call  any  one  by  his  name.  I  have  noticed  that 
there  is  a  similar  superstition  in  the  Bambara  districts 
of  the  Upper  Niger. 

Yusuf  is  a  big,  good-looking  fellow  of  about  forty  years 
of  age,  who  has  recently  succeeded  his  father  as  chief. 
When  we  arrived  he  was  suffering  from  some  affection 
of  the  eyes.  Taburet  prescribed  for  and  cured  him,  thus 
contributing  to  establishing  us  in  his  good  graces. 

The  former  chief  of  Sorba  had  been  a  great  friend  of 
Amadu,  and  had  given  him  canoes  for  crossing  the  river. 
If  therefore  the  Toucouleurs  had  succeeded  in  establishing 
their  authority  in  the  districts  torn  from  the  Djermas  of 
Karma  and  Dunga,  it  was  in  some  measure  due  to 
him. 

Yusuf,  however,  did  not  disguise  that  he  was  becoming 
rather  uneasy  about  the  future,  and  as  far  as  was  possible 
without  compromising  himself  he  had  tried  to  be  useful 
to  us.     If  ever  we  succeed,  as  I  hope  we  shall,  in  driving 


2S2  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE    NIGER 

Amadu  from  the  neighbourhood  of  Say,  we  shall  certainly 
find  auxiliaries  in  the  Kurteyes. 

Yusuf  gave  us  as  a  guide  to  take  us  to  Say,  a  man 
named  Hugo,  chief  of  his  own  slaves,  a  capital  fellow, 
and  an  excellent  pilot.  Needless  to  add  that  we  all  at 
once  dubbed  him  Victor  in  honour  of  the  great  French 
author. 

Relieved  on  the  point  about  which  I  had  been  so 
anxious,  the  securing  of  a  guide  to  take  us  to  Say,  we 
went  down  to  the  village  of  Kutukole,  and  anchored 
near  it  for  the  night,  the  river  between  it  and  Sarbo  being 
quite  easy  to  navigate. 

On  the  3rd  we  passed  Karma,  and  were  now  amongst 
the  Toucouleurs.  On  every  side  our  approach  was  an- 
nounced by  the  lighting  of  fires,  and  the  beating  of  the 
tabala  or  war-drum.  A  group  of  horsemen  followed  us 
along  the  bank,  watching  us  closely,  but  now  the  stream 
was  quite  quiet,  only  one  more  rapid,  that  of  Bobo,  had 
to  be  crossed,  and  that  we  left  behind  us  the  same  evening. 
All  we  had  to  do  was  to  steer  carefully  clear  of  the  few 
rocks  which  still  impeded  the  course  of  the  river, 

Bobo,  opposite  to  which  we  passed  the  night,  is,  like 
Karma,  under  the  direct  authority  of  Ali  Buri,  that  vener- 
able Wolof  chieftain,  who,  driven  out  of  Cayor  by  the 
French,  went  to  seek  an  asylum  at  Nioro  near  Amadu, 
whose  fortunes  he  followed.  Captain  Toutee  was  mistaken 
in  thinking  that  Ali  Buri  had  been  killed  in  the  attack 
on  his  expedition  at  Kompa.  He  was  still  alive,  unfortun- 
ately for  us,  and  we  were  told  was  now  in  the  Sorgoe 
district  near  the  country  of  the  Kel  Gheres,  where  he 
busied  himself  in  winning  partisans  for  Amadu. 

On  the  right  bank  opposite  our  anchorage,  Bokar 
Wandieidu  had  fought  the  year  before  with  the  Futankes, 
and  had  inflicted  on  them  a  serious  defeat.     More  than 


FROM    FAFA   TO    SAY 


283 


two  hundred  of  Amadu's  warriors  are  still  prisoners  in 
the  hands  of  the  Tuareg  chief  Unfortunately,  however, 
after  the  Sinder  affair,  the  chief  of  Say  succeeded  in 
reconciling  the  enemies,  and,  as  we  have  seen,  the  truce 
between  them  was  brought  about  at  the  expense  of  the 
French. 

The    5th    of    April    was    Easter    Sunday,    and    Father 
Hacquart   celebrated    mass   as    we    slipped    easily    down 


THE   BOBO   KAPIDS. 


stream  through  charming  scenery,  preceded  by  Hugo  in 
his  canoe  acting  as  guide.  We  passed  several  big  villages 
belonging  to  the  chiefs  under  Amadu,  and  anchored 
opposite  Saga. 

To-morrow  we  should  pass  Dunga  where  Amadu  himself 
lived,  and  I  determined  that  our  boats  should  look  their 
best,  so  I  had  everything  put  ship-shape  on  board.  Our 
masts,  which  had  been  lowered,  as  they  gave  too  much 
purchase  to  the  wind,  were  raised  again,  and  from  them 


284  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

floated  the  tricolour  flag  of  France.  We  were  off  again 
now  in  fine  style. 

Our  friend  Hugo,  however,  was  no  friend  to  demonstra- 
tions of  any  kind,  and  said  to  us,  "What  are  you  going 
to  do  on  the  left  bank  ?  Can't  you  follow  me  on  the  right 
where  there  is  nothing  to  fear?  It  won't  help  your  voyage 
much  to  be  received  with  musket-shots,  will  it  ?  Besides, 
if  you  don't  follow  me  carefully,  who  will  guide  you  amongst 
the  rocks  ?  " 

He  had  told  us  the  evening  before  that  there  were  no 
rocks  between  Dunga  and  Say,  so  we  let  him  go  down 
his  right  bank  all  alone,  whilst  we  filed  past  Dunga,  about 
a  hundred  yards  from  the  land. 

A  group  of  some  twenty  horsemen  had  been  following 
us  ever  since  the  morning,  and  they  halted  at  the  landing- 
place  of  the  village,  unsaddled  their  steeds  and  let  them 
drink.  On  a  height  on  which  the  village  is  perched  a 
square  battalion  of  something  like  a  thousand  warriors 
was  drawn  up. 

All  remained  perfectly  still,  and  not  a  cry  or  threat 
broke  the  silence.  We  passed  very  slowly,  our  barges 
swept  on  by  the  current,  whilst  we  on  deck  looked  about 
us  proudly.  Our  enemies  on  their  side  acquitted  them- 
selves bravely,  and  with  considerable  dignity,  though  it 
must  be  confessed  they  reminded  us  rather  of  china  dogs 
glaring  at  each  other. 

When  all  is  said  and  done,  however,  I  think  I  may 
claim  the  credit  of  having  fairly  challenged  the  Tou- 
couleurs,  leaving  them  to  take  up  my  glove  or  to  leave 
it  alone  as  they  chose.  This  may  have  seemed  like 
bravado,  and  perhaps  there  was  a  little  of  that  in  my 
attitude,  but  as  an  old  warrior  of  the  Sudan  myself,  and 
a  fellow-worker  though  a  humble  one  of  the  Gallieni  and 
the  Archinards,  I  would  rather  have  run  any  risk  than 


FROM    FAFA   TO    SAY  285 

have  had  our  historic  enemies  the  Toucouleurs  think  I 
was  afraid  of  them.  The  tone  I  took  up  too  gave  us  an 
ascendency  later  which  we  sorely  needed. 

After  going  about  twenty-two  miles  further  down  the 
river,  we  anchored  near  enough  to  Say  to  make  out  the 
trees  surrounding  it,  and  the  next  day  we  reached  the 
town  itself,  which  had  for  so  long  been  the  object  of 
our  desires. 

Say  is  a  comparatively  big  place,  but  not  nearly  as 
important  as  it  is  often  made  out  to  be.  It  is  made  up 
of  straw  huts  with  pointed  roofs,  and  is  surrounded  by 
palisades  also  of  straw.  Only  one  house  is  built  of  mud, 
and  that  forms  the  entrance  sacred  to  the  chief 

The  river  flows  on  the  east  of  the  town,  and  on  the  west 
is  a  low-lying  tract  of  what  are  meadows  in  the  dry  season, 
but  mere  swamps  in  the  winter. 

We  anchored  at  once,  but  the  stench  from  the  rubbish 
on  the  banks  of  the  river  was  so  great  that  we  soon  moved 
to  the  southern  extremity  of  the  village,  where  the  shore 
was  cleaner. 

Our  passengers  meanwhile  had  gone  to  announce  our 
arrival,  and  old  Abdu,  who  is  in  command  of  the  prisoners 
of  the  chief  of  Say,  soon  came  to  see  us.  Baud  and 
Vermesch  had  had  some  dealings  with  him,  and  had 
spoken  well  of  him  to  us,  while  Monteil  also  alludes  to 
him.     He  seemed  a  very  worthy  sort  of  fellow. 

After  the  customary  exchange  of  compliments,  I  asked 
to  be  permitted  to  pay  a  visit  to  his  master,  Amadu 
Saturu,  generally  known  under  the  name  of  Modibo,  or 
the  savant,  and  Abdu  went  off  to  make  my  request  known 
at  once,  but  we  waited  and  waited  a  very  long  time  before 
any  answer  was  vouchsafed. 

We  were  simply  consumed  with  impatience,  and  I 
augured  ill  from  the  delay.     I  remembered  of  course  that 


286  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

Modibo  had  signed  treaty  after  treaty  with  Baud,  Decoeur, 
and  Toutee,  only  I  could  not  help  also  remembering  how 
little  a  diplomatic  document  such  as  a  so-called  treaty 
really  ever  binds  a  negro,  and  that  made  me  hesitate  to 
trust  him. 

Most  Mussulmans,  at  least  most  of  the  Mahommedan 
chiefs  and  marabouts,  are  liars  and  deceivers.  They  have 
a  hundred  ways,  not  to  speak  of  mental  reservation,  of 
swearing  by  the  Koran,  without  feeling  themselves  bound 
by  their  oath.  If  they  respected  a  promise  given  as  they 
ought  to  do,  would  their  prophet  have  taught  that  four 
days'  fasting  expiated  the  violation  of  an  oath  ? 

If  they  cheat  like  this  when  they  know  what  they  are 
about,  how  are  they  likely  to  behave  when  everything  is 
strange  to  them  ?  and  they  attach  no  moral  value  to  the 
terms  of  an  agreement,  especially  of  an  agreement  of 
many  clauses  such  as  is  the  fashion  for  the  French  to 
make  with  native  chiefs. 

To  pass  the  time  whilst  waiting  for  the  return  of  our 
messenger  we  chatted  with  a  Kurteye  marabout,  who  came 
to  give  us  a  greeting.  He  read  Madidu's  letter  with  some 
difficulty,  but  great  interest.  I  asked  him  whether  Modibo 
generally  kept  his  visitors  waiting  like  this,  and  he  replied, 
"  Yes,  it  makes  him  seem  more  important,  but  you  will  see 
him  when  it  gets  cooler." 

So  we  waited  with  what  patience  we  could,  and  at  about 
five  o'clock  Amadu  Saturu  sent  for  me.  Oh,  what  a  series 
of  preliminaries  we  still  had  to  go  through  ! 

According  to  my  usual  custom  I  went  to  see  the  chief 
unarmed,  accompanied  only  by  Suleyman  and  Tierno 
Abdulaye. 

First  we  had  to  wait  in  the  ante-chamber — I  mean  the 
mud  hut  referred  to  above — the  walls  of  which  were  pierced 
with  niches  making  it  look  like  a  pigeon-cote. 


FROM    FAFA   TO    SAY  287 

At  last  his  majesty  condescended  to  admit  us  to  his 
presence. 

The  king  of  Say  could  not  be  called  handsome,  sym- 
pathetic, or  clean.  He  was  a  big,  blear-eyed  man,  with  a 
furtive  expression,  a  regular  typical  fat  negro.  He  was 
crouching  rather  than  sitting  on  a  bed  of  palm-leaves,  wear- 
ing a  native  costume,  the  original  colour  of  which  it  was 
impossible  to  tell,  so  coated  was  it  with  filth.     He  was  sur- 


VIEW  OF   SAY. 


rounded  by  some  thirty  armed  men.  On  his  left  stood  the 
chief  of  the  captives,  Abdu,  with  an  old  dried-up  looking 
man,  who  I  was  told  was  the  cadi  of  the  village,  and,  to  my 
great  and  disagreeable  surprise,  quite  a  large  number  of 
Toucouleurs.  Suleyman  and  Abdulaye,  who  recognized 
what  this  meant,  exchanged  anxious  glances  with  me.  T 
now  realized  that  my  apprehensions  had  been  well  founded. 
Still  I  took  my  seat  quietly,  without  betraying  any  emotion, 
on  a  wooden  mortar,  and  begun  my  speech. 


288  THE    EXPLORATION   OF   THE    NIGER 

"  The  Sultan  of  the  French  greets  you,  the  chief  of  the 
Sudan  greets  you,  etc.  We  come  from  Timbuktu.  We 
passed  peacefully  everywhere.  We  are  now  tired,  the  river 
is  low,  and  in  conformity  with  the  conventions  you  have 
made  with  the  French  we  have  come  to  demand  your 
hospitality  that  we  may  rest  and  repair  the  damage  done 
to  our  boats  by  the  rocks.  We  also  want  a  courier  to  go 
and  tell  our  relations  at  Bandiagara  that  we  have  arrived 
here  safely.  All  we  need  to  support  us  during  our  stay 
will  be  paid  for  at  prices  agreed  on  beforehand  between  us. 
Lastly,  I  wish  to  go  and  see  Ibrahim  Galadjo,  your  friend 
and  ours." 

"  Impossible,"  replied  Modibo.  "  Galadjo  is  not  now 
at  his  capital,  he  is  collecting  a  column ;  besides,  you  will 
not  have  time  for  the  journey  to  him." 

"  Why  not,  pray  ?  " 

"  Because  you,  like  those  who  have  preceded  you,  must 
not  stop  here  more  than  four  or  five  days  longer.  That  is 
the  custom  of  the  country." 

If  I  still  cherished  any  illusions  this  speech  finally  dis- 
persed them.  The  groups  about  the  chief  moreover  left 
me  in  no  doubt  as  to  his  sentiments,  or  as  to  whom  we  had 
to  thank  for  those  sentiments.  The  Toucouleurs  grinned, 
and  waved  their  muskets  above  their  heads  in  a  hostile 
manner.  Abdu  alone  tried  to  speak  on  our  behalf,  but 
Modibo  ordered  him  to  be  silent,  and  the  cadi  joined  in 
the  chorus  against  us.  A  griot  then  began  a  song,  the  few 
words  of  which  I  caught  were  certainly  not  in  our  praise. 
Everything  seemed  to  be  going  wrong. 

What  was  I  to  do  ?  As  I  had  said,  we  were  all  tired  out, 
the  river  was  half  dried  up,  the  boats  were  terribly  knocked 
about.  Still  it  was  not  altogether  impossible  to  go,  for 
after  leading  the  life  of  the  Wandering  Jew  for  so  long,  a 
little  more  or  less  travelling  could  not  matter  much.     We 


FROM    FAFA   TO    SAY  .         289 

might  perhaps  have  managed  to  do  another  fifty  miles  or 
so,  and  try  to  find  rest  in  a  more  hospitable  district,  where 
we  could  pass  the  rainy  season  not  so  very  far  from  Bussa, 
which  was  to  be  our  final  goal. 

One  thing  decided  me  to  act  as  I  did,  and  I  can  at  least 
claim  that  I  made  up  my  mind  quickly.  I  was  determined 
to  fulfil  to  the  letter,  with  true  military  obedience,  the  last 
instructions  I  had  received  before  starting.  These  were 
my  instructions — 

"Bamako  de  Saint-Louis,  Number  5074.  Received  on 
November  23,  at  half-past  four  in  the  afternoon — Will 
arrange  f 01^  you  to  receive  supplementary  instructions  at  Say. 
In  case  unforeseen  circumstances  prevent  those  instructions 
being  there  before  your  arrival^  wait  for  themr 

This,  as  will  be  observed,  is  clear  and  precise  enough. 
Of  course  such  orders  would  not  have  been  sent  but  for 
the  ignorance  in  France  of  the  state  of  things  at  Say. 
They  would  otherwise  have  been  simply  ridiculous.  How- 
ever, an  order  cannot  be  considered  binding  unless  he 
who  gives  that  order  understands  exactly  what  will  be  the 
position  when  he  receives  it,  of  the  person  to  whom  it  is 
sent,  and  who  is  expected  to  execute  it. 

Still  those  instructions  might  arrive ;  rarely  had  such  a 
thing  happened  in  French  colonial  policy,  but  it  was  just 
possible  that  our  presence  at  Say  was  part  of  a  plan  of 
operations  at  the  mouth  of  the  Niger  or  in  Dahomey.  I 
need  hardly  add  that  it  turned  out  not  to  be  so,  but  I  was 
quite  justified  in  my  idea  that  it  might  have  been,  and  in 
any  case  I  had  no  right  to  conclude  to  the  contrary. 

So  I  decided  in  spite  of  everything  and  everybody  to 
remain. 

Oh,  if  we  had  but  started  a  little  earlier ;  if  M.  Grodet 
had  not  stopped  us  and  kept  us  in  the  Sudan  as  he  did ! 
If  we  could  but  have  joined  the  Decoeur-Baud,  or  even  the 


290  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

Toutee  expedition  at  Say,  how  different  everything  would 
have  been  ! 

If  only  the  promised  instructions  had  really  been  sent 
us,  as  they  could  have  been,  had  any  one  wanted  to  send 
them !  If  only  a  small  column  either  from  Dahomey  or 
from  Bandiagara  had,  as  it  might  so  easily  have  been, 
commissioned  to  bring  us  those  instructions,  I  am  con- 
vinced that  Amadu  Saturu  would  at  this  moment  be  a 
fugitive  like  Amadu  Cheiku,  and  that  the  Niger  districts 
near  Say  would  be  purged  from  the  presence  of  slave- 
dealers.  For  all  these  robbers  of  men,  who  are  as  cowardly 
as  they  are  cruel  and  dishonest,  would  have  fled  at  the 
first  rumour  of  an  advance  of  the  French  upon  their  haunts. 

It  ought  to  have  been  otherwise,  that  is  all.  It  is  not  the 
time  for  recrimination,  but  I  shall  count  myself  fortunate 
if  what  happened  to  me  serves  as  an  example  to  others, 
and  prevents  the  sending  out  of  expeditions  only  to 
abandon  them  to  their  fate,  without  instructions,  in  the 
heart  of  Africa.  For,  as  a  rule,  these  expeditions  seem  to 
be  completely  forgotten  until  the  news  arrives  that  they 
have  managed  to  get  back  to  civilized  districts  after  a 
struggle  more  glorious  than  fruitful  of  results,  or  that,  as 
sometimes  happens,  all  the  white  men  have  perished 
somewhere  amongst  the  blacks. 

To  decide  to  remain  at  Say  was,  however,  one  thing,  to 
be  able  to  do  so  was  another. 

There  were  just  twenty-nine  of  us,  five  white  men  and 
twenty-four  black,  with  three  children,  the  servants  of 
Bluzet,  Father  Hacquart  and  Taburet,  and  the  Toucouleur 
Suleyman,  on  whom,  by  the  way,  we  did  not  feel  we  could 
altogether  rely,  a  small  party  truly  against  the  500  warriors 
of  Amadu  and  his  Toucouleurs  or  Foutankes,  as  they  are 
often  called,  not  to  speak  of  the  people  of  Say  and  all  who 
were  more  or  less  dependent  on  Modibo. 


FROM    FAFA   TO    SAY  291 

I  sometimes  play,  as  no  doubt  my  readers  do  too,  at  the 
game  called  poker. 

We  all  know  that  skill  consists  in  making  your  adversary 
believe  when  you  have  a  bad  hand  that  you  have  a  very 
good  one.  This  is  what  is  known  as  bluff.  To  make  up  for 
my  purse  having  sometimes  suffered  in  this  American 
game,  it  put  me  up  to  a  dodge  or  two  in  politics,  notably 
on  the  present  occasion. 


CANOES   AT  SAY. 


So  I  played  poker  as  energetically  as  I  could. 

If  ever  a  man  went  to  his  dinner  after  listening  to  a  lot 
of  nonsense,  it  was  Modibo  on  this  7th  of  April  when  I  had 
my  interview  with  him. 

I  said  amongst  other  things — "  I  have  lived  amongst  the 
negroes  now  for  seven  years  ;  I  know  the  river  which  flows 
past  your  village  from  the  spot  where  it  comes  from  the 
ground.  I  have  been  in  many  countries.  I  have  known 
Amadu  Cheiku,  who  is  a  great  liar  "  (here  the  Toucouleurs 


292  THE    EXPLORATION    OF    THE    NIGER 

all    nodded    their   heads   in    acquiescence),    "and    his   son 
Madani,  who  is  no  better  than  he  is. 

"  I  must,  however,  confess  that  never,  in  the  course  of 
my  experience,  have  I  seen  anything  to  equal  what  I  see 
here  to-day. 

"  Relations  of  ours  have  been  here,  some  alone,  others 
with  soldiers,  all  of  whom  have  loaded  you  with  presents. 
You  promised,  nay  more,  you  made  alliance  with  us  French, 
but  now  you  break  your  word.  Very  well !  My  Sultan, 
who  is  a  true  Sultan  and  not  a  bad  chief  like  you,  who 
lolls  about  in  a  dirty  hut  on  a  moth-eaten  coverlid,  has 
done  you  too  much  honour.  You  are  viler  than  the  unclean 
animals  whose  flesh  your  prophet  forbids  you  to  eat.  Now 
listen  to  me.  My  chief  has  ordered  me  to  stop  here,  and 
here  I  shall  stop,  a  day  if  I  choose,  a  year  if  I  choose,  ten 
years  if  I  choose.  We  are  only  thirty,  and  you  are  as 
numerous  as  the  grains  of  sand  of  the  desert ;  but  try  and 
drive  us  away  if  you  can.  I  do  not  mean  to  begin  making 
war,  because  my  chief  has  forbidden  me  to  do  so  ;  you 
will  have  to  begin,  and  you  will  see  what  will  happen. 
We  have  God  on  our  side,  who  punishes  perjurers.  He 
is  enough  for  me ;  I  am  not  afraid  of  you.  Adieu !  We 
are  going  to  seek  a  place  for  our  camp  where  there  are 
none  but  the  beasts  of  the  field,  for  in  this  country  they 
are  better  than  the  men.  Collect  your  column  and  come 
and  drive  us  away  ! — that  is  to  say,  if  you  can  !  " 

Suleyman  was  a  first-rate  interpreter  when  he  had  this 
sort  of  harangue  to  translate.  The  good  fellow,  who  was 
of  anything  but  a  conciliatory  disposition,  would  drop  out 
all  flattering  expressions  or  cut  them  very  short,  but  when 
he  had  such  a  task  as  I  had  set  him  just  now,  he  went  at 
it  with  hearty  goodwill.  He  was  more  likely  to  add  to 
than  to  omit  anything  I  had  said. 

After  this  vehement  address  Modibo  and  his  attendants 


FROM    FAFA   TO    SAY  293 

seemed  quite  dumfounded.  What  grisgris,  what  fetiches 
must  these  infidels,  these  accursed  white  men  have,  if  they 
could  dare  to  speak  in  such  a  bold  fashion  as  this  when 
they  were  alone  in  a  strange  country  with  not  more  than 
thirty  muskets  at  the  most. 

It  was  very  important  not  to  give  our  unfriendly  host 
time  to  recover  from  his  stupor.  We  filed  out  therefore  in 
truly  British  style,  and  I  think  we  did  well  not  to  loiter. 
It  was  not  without  a  certain  satisfaction  that  after  travers- 
ing the  two  or  three  hundred  yards  between  us  and  the 
river  I  saw  our  flags  floating  above  our  boats. 

Imagine,  however,  the  feelings  of  my  people  when  I 
burst  in  upon  their  preparations  for  a  meal  in  the  tents 
already  pitched,  with  the  order,  "  Pick  all  that  up,  and  be 
on  your  guard,  ready  to  be  off  at  any  moment." 

Farewell  to  our  good  cheer,  farewell  to  what  we  thought 
was  to  be  a  safe  and  comfortable  camp.  We  had  to  place 
sentinels  and  be  constantly  on  the  alert.  Our  coolies,  too, 
who  had  already  made  advances  to  some  of  the  belles  of 
Say,  were  bitterly  disappointed,  but  we  had  no  choice,  and 
they  had  to  fall  in  with  our  wishes  or  rather  commands, 
that  all  intercourse  with  the  natives  should  be  broken  off. 

The  next  night  we  had  to  be  all  eyes  and  ears,  and  I 
at  least  did  not  sleep  a  wink,  so  absorbed  was  I  in  thinking 
what  had  better  be  done.  I  was  determined  to  remain  at 
Say  at  whatever  cost,  and  it  struck  me  that  the  best  plan 
would  be  to  lead  a  kind  of  aquatic  life,  enlarging  the  decks 
of  our  boats,  so  to  speak,  which  really  were  rather  too  small 
for  us  and  our  goods.  An  island  would  be  the  thing  for 
us.  So  we  resolved  that  we  would  go  and  look  for  a 
suitable  one  the  next  day. 

On  the  morning  of  the  8th,  Abdu  tried  to  bring  about  a 
reconciliation,  but  the  poor  devil  only  wasted  his  time  and 
his  breath.     He  was  the  only  man  at  Say  who  in  his  heart 


294  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

of  hearts  had  the  least  real  sympathy  for  us,  and  he  gave 
ample  proof  of  this,  for  he  never  took  any  part  in  the 
intrigues  against  us,  which  were  the  worry  of  our  lives  for 
five  months  and  a  half.  We  never  saw  him  again ;  he  never 
came  to  beg  for  a  present  like  the  false  and  covetous 
marabouts  who  form  the  sham  court  of  his  chief  In  a 
word,  the  slave  was  superior  to  his  master. 

At  noon  on  the  8th,  mentally  calling  down  on  Say  all  the 
maledictions  she  deserved  for  disappointing  all  our  hopes, 
I  gave  the  word  of  command  to  weigh  anchor,  and 
once  more  we  were  being  carried  along  by  the  waters  of 
the  Niger. 


OUR  guides'  canoe. 


THE    '  AUBE     AT   FORT   ARCHINARD. 


CHAPTER  VII 


STAY  AT   SAY 


We  soon  came  in  sight,  as  we  rounded  a  bend  of  the 
stream,  of  a  thicket  of  trees  on  an  island  which  seemed 
made  on  purpose  for  us. 

We  landed  and  pitched  our  tents. 

The  most  important  characteristic  of  an  island  is  that 

it  should  be  completely  surrounded  with  water.     Well,  our 

island  fulfilled  this  condition,  for  the  time  being  at  least. 

On  the  left,  looking  down  stream  we  could  see  the  principal 

arm  of  the  Niger,  the  deepest  part  of  the  river,  in  which, 

however,  the  rocks  of  the  bed  were  already  beginning  to 

emerge,  whilst  on  the  right  was  a  narrower  channel  barred 

at  the  end  by  a  rapid,  beyond  which  the  water  disappeared 

entirely   underground.     Yet    further    away   in    the   same 

direction  we  could  see  a  little  branch  of  the  broken-up  river 

with  a  very  strong  current  hastening  on  its  way  to  join  the 

main  stream,  where  I  could  not  tell. 

295 


296  THE    EXPLORATION    OF    THE    NIGER 

Our  island  was  about  218  yards  long  by  328  broad.  At 
one  end,  that  looking  up-stream,  was  a  rocky  bank,  whilst 
the  other,  looking  down-stream,  consisted  of  low-lying 
alluvial  soil,  often  of  course  submerged,  dotted  here,  there, 
and  everywhere  with  the  mounds  of  the  termites,  and  at 
this  time  of  year  completely  deserted.  A  few  fine  and 
lofty  tamarinds  and  other  trees  with  large  trunks  but  little 
foliage  formed  a  regular  wood,  and  afforded  us  a  grateful 
shade;  but  the  island  as  a  whole,  with  its  ant-hills,  its 
twisted,  tortuous,  and  leafless  trunks,  and  its  ground  strewn 
with  sharp  and  broken  flints,  presented  a  very  wild  and 
desolate  appearance  when  we  first  landed. 

Its  situation,  however,  was  really  far  from  unpleasing,  for 
on  the  deserted  left  bank  the  inundations  are  never  very 
deep,  and  near  to  it  rise  wooded  hills,  with  here  and  there 
perpendicular  cliffs  rising  straight  up  from  the  river. 
Nearly  opposite  to  us  was  one  of  these  cliffs,  white 
with  guano  or  with  lime,  which  looked  to  me  very  well 
suited  for  a  permanent  post.  Being  quite  bare  of 
vegetation,  this  cliff  stands  out  against  the  verdure 
of  the  woods,  and  from  the  evening  to  the  morning, 
from  twilight  to  sunrise,  great  troops  of  big  black  monkeys 
assemble  in  it,  and  hold  a  regular  palaver  just  as  the 
negroes  do.  Often  at  night  their  cries  quite  alarm  us,  and 
keep  the  sentries  constantly  on  the  qui  vive. 

The  whole  of  the  riverside  districts  on  the  left  bank,  from 
Kibtachi  to  the  Toucouleur  villages  up-stream,  are  com- 
pletely deserted  and  of  bad  fame.  Now  and  then  we  saw 
men  armed  with  bows  and  arrows  prowling  about  on  a  slave 
hunt,  or  deer  came  down  to  drink.  The  right  bank  is  far 
less  dreary.  Opposite  to  us  is  Talibia,  a  little  agricultural 
village,  tributary  to  Say.  We  can  make  out  the  gables  of 
the  pointed  huts  surrounded  by  palisades  and  sanies  or 
fences  made  of  mats.     When  the  millet  is  full  grown  these 


STAY   AT   SAY 


297 


pointed  huts  are  quite  hidden  by  it,  and  the  scene  is  one  of 
great  beauty,  giving  an  impression  of  considerable  prosperity. 
Women  come  down  to  the  beach  to  fetch  water,  and  bathe 
in  the  arm  of  the  stream.  On  market  day  at  Say — that  is  to 
say,  on  Friday — there  is  great  excitement  at  TaHbia,  men, 
women,  and  children  trooping  to  market  with  their  wares 


VIEW  OF   OUR    ISLAND    AND    ui     lUD    b.MALL   ARM   OF   THE    Ki\  l.K. 


as  they  do  in  France,  carrying  their  butter,  their  mats — in  a 
word,  all  the  produce  of  the  week's  work  on  their  heads. 

Above  Talibia  and  the  confluence  of  the  third  arm  of  the 
river  the  wood  becomes  dense  and  impenetrable.  A  little 
path  follows  the  river-bank  through  the  tall  grass,  and 
during  our  long  stay  in  the  island  it  was  the  daily  morning 
occupation  to  watch  from  the  top  of  the  island  who  should 
come  along  this  path,  for  by  it  alone  could  king's 
ambassadors,  marabouts,  market-women  or  any  one  else 
approach  us. 


298  THE   EXPLORATION   OF  THE   NIGER 

Our  island  was  quite  deserted  by  the  natives,  for  though 
the  people  of  Talibia  grew  millet  on  it  before  our  arrival, 
they  would  never  live  on  it,  or  even  sleep  on  it  for  one 
night,  for  it  had  a  very  bad  reputation,  and  was  supposed  to 
be  haunted  by  devils,  horrible  devils,  who  took  the  form  of 
big  fantastic-looking  monkeys,  and  after  sunset  climbed 
upon  the  ant-hills  and  held  a  fiendish  sabbat. 

Without  calling  in  the  aid  of  the  supernatural  to  account 
for  it,  there  is  no  doubt  that  people  belated  on  the  left 
bank  were  never  seen  again.  Perhaps  they  are  taken 
captive  by  the  robber  Djermankobes,  or  fall  victims  to  lions 
or  hyaenas. 

However  that  may  be,  the  Talibia  devils,  as  were  those 
of  Wiiro  and  Geba  later,  were  propitious  to  us.  All  these 
spirits,  whether  of  Kolikoro,  of  DebOj  or  of  Pontoise,  are 
realJy  cousins- german.  Ours  were  the  spirits  of  the  Niger, 
and  the  negroes  explained  our  immunity  from  their  attacks 
by  saying,  "  They  can  do  nothing  against  an  expedition, 
the  leader  of  which  is  the  friend  of  Somanguru,  the  great 
demon  of  Kolikoro,  and  who  knows  the  river  at  its  source, 
where  it  comes  out  of  the  earth,  where  no  one  else  has  ever 
seen  it." 

I  imagine  that  since  our  departure  the  natives  of  Talibia 
have  still  avoided  the  island.  Our  residence  on  it  was  not 
enough  to  rehabilitate  it,  and  probably  now  many  rumours 
are  current  about  the  spirit  which  haunts  the  ruins  of  our 
camp. 

It  was  really  a  great  thing  to  be  on  an  island.  We  were 
safe  there  from  hyaenas  at  least,  and  all  we  had  to  do  was  to 
put  our  camp  in  a  state  of  defence  against  the  Toucouleurs 
and  their  friends. 

The  first  fortification  we  put  up  was  a  moral  one,  for  we 
baptized  our  camp  Fort  Archinard,  in  token  of  our  gratitude 
to  the  Colonel  of  that  name,  and  it  was  worth  many  an 


STAY   AT   SAY  299 

abattis.  The  name  of  Archinard  was  in  fact  a  kind  of 
double  fetich,  for  it  gave  confidence  to  our  own  men,  and  it 
inspired  the  Toucouleurs  with  superstitious  terror.  In  the 
French  Sudan  there  is  not  a  marabout,  a  soldier,  or  a  sofa 
of  Samory,  not  a  talibe  of  Amadu,  not  a  friend  nor  an 
enemy  of  the  French  who  does  not  retain  deeply  graven 
upon  his  memory  the  name  of  Colonel  Archinard,  for  the 
present  General  will  always  be  the  Colonel  in  Africa,  the 
great  Colonel  whom,  according  to  tradition,  no  village  ever 
resisted  for  a  whole  day. 

So  we  managed  that  the  news  of  the  baptism  of  our 
Camp' should  be  spread  far  and  near,  and  passed  on  from 
mouth  to  mouth  till  it  reached  the  ear  of  Amadu  himself. 
No  doubt  he  had  some  bad  dreams  in  consequence. 

This  moral  defence,  however,  required  to  be  supplemented 
by  a  material  one.  Two  hundred  and  twenty  by  forty-three 
yards  is  not  a  very  wide  area  for  thirty-five  people  to  live 
in,  but  it  is  far  too  big  a  space  to  have  to  defend  efficiently. 

We  felt  it  would  be  prudent  to  restrict  the  camp,  properly 
so  called,  to  the  northern  point  of  the  island,  and  taking  six 
termitaries  as  points  of  support,  we  placed  abattis  between 
them.  Everything  was  ready  to  our  hands,  branches,  logs, 
brushwood,  thorns,  etc.  We  cut  down  the  trees  at  the 
lower  end  of  the  island,  which  cleared  our  firing  range, 
though  it  also  rather  spoiled  the  look  of  the  landscape. 
We  levelled  the  site  of  our  camp,  razed  many  of  the  ant- 
hills to  the  ground,  and  mounted  our  two  guns,  one  point- 
ing up-stream,  on  a  huge  trunk  which  seemed  to  have  been 
placed  where  it  was  on  purpose,  which  commanded  the 
bank  almost  as  far  as  Say  itself,  whilst  the  other  was 
placed  on  a  big  trunk  which  we  drove  firmly  into  the 
ground,  and  would  keep  the  people  on  the  banks  down- 
stream in  awe.  At  each  gun  sentries  were  always  on  guard. 
Then   the   unfortunate    Aube  was   unloaded,   patched   up 


300  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE    NIGER 

somehow,  provided  with  sixteen  oars,  and  armed  with  the 
machine-gun  belonging  to  the  Davoust,  all  ready  to  advance 
to  the  attack  or  the  defence  whether  to  Say  or  to  Dunga. 

In  a  word,  the  urgent  preliminary  work  was  rapidly 
accomplished  in  a  very  few  days,  and  then  in  comparative 
security  we  began  building  what  the  natives  call  the  tata^ 
that  is  to  say,  an  earthwork  such  as  surrounds  sedentary 
villages,  or  a  fortified  redoubt  serving  as  the  residence  of  a 
chief. 

Even  if  you  had  not  been  brought  up  a  mason,  you  would 
very  soon  become  one  in  the  Sudan ;  at  least  you  will  learn 
to  build  as  the  negroes  do.  There  are  neither  stones,  lime,, 
nor  sand,  nothing  but  water  and  more  or  less  argillaceous 
soil.  With  that  you  must  make  bricks,  mortar,  and  the 
mixture  for  graining,  if  graining  you  mean  to  have.  The 
clay  is  kneaded  with  the  feet,  and  when  it  is  ready,  what 
are  called  tufas  are  made  of  it,  that  is  to  say,  flat  or 
cylindrical  bricks,  which  the  mason  or  bare  places  horizon- 
tally between  two  layers  of  mortar.  The  bare  sits  astride 
on  the  wall  he  is  building  and  chants  the  same  tune  over 
and  over  again,  whilst  his  assistants  silently  pass  up  the 
tufas  to  him.  I  have  noticed  that  all  over  the  world 
masons  and  tile-makers  are  as  light-hearted  as  birds. 

Our  best  mason  in  this  case  was  a  big  Sarracolais  named 
Samba  Demba,  who  generally  acted  as  groom  to  our 
bicycle  Suzanne.  When  he  was  at  work  on  the  wall  it 
grew  apace,  and  we  too  grew  gay  as  we  saw  it  rise,  for  with 
it  increased  our  sense  of  security. 

When  the  building  went  on  well,  we  felt  that  every- 
thing else  would  go  well  too. 

Our  tata  was  a  triangular  wall,  each  of  the  three  sides 
being  from  about  eleven  to  sixteen  yards  long.  It  was 
thick  enough  to  protect  us  from  treacherous  shots  from 
old-fashioned  rifles,  and  indeed  also  from  the  quick-firing 


STAY  AT   SAY 


301 


weapons  which  the  EngHsh  had  sold  some  time  ago  to  our 
enemy  Samory.  At  a  height  of  about  six  feet  and  a  half 
some  forty  loopholes  were  made,  distributed  about  equally 
over  the  three  sides  of  the  triangle  formed  by  our  wall. 
Inside,  the  walls  were  supported  by  buttresses  about  three 
feet  thick,  which  served  alike  as  seats  and  places  in  which 
to  store  our  ammunition.     The  building  seemed  likely  to 


FORT   ARCHINARD. 


last  well  unless  it  should  be  disintegrated  and  washed  away 
in  a  tornado  some  day  ;  breaches  will  of  course  be  made  in 
it,  parts  of  it  will  fall,  but  I  expect,  for  a  long  time  hence, 
its  ruins  will  bear  witness  to  the  stay  here  of  the  French 
expedition,  and  to  our  effective  occupation  of  the  site. 

I  forget  what  king  of  Sego  it  was  who  rendered  his  tata 
impregnable  by  making  human  corpses  its  foundation.  In 
default  of  such  a  precaution  as  this,  which  we  refrained 
from  taking,  a  few  determined  men  might  at  any  moment 


302  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

have  carried  Fort  Archinard  by  assault,  but  they  would 
have  paid  dearly  for  their  success. 

On  the  summit  of  an  ant-hill,  at  the  top  of  the  longest 
bamboo  stem  we  could  find,  we  hoisted  the  French  flag. 

And  in  this  remote  island  of  Archinard,  more  than  two 
hundred  leagues  from  any  other  European,  we  with  our 
coolies  lived  for  five  months,  and  made  the  French  name, 
beneath  the  protection  of  the  French  flag,  respected  in  spite 
of  old  Amadu,  in  spite  of  the  chief  of  Say,  and  of  all  their 
intrigues  against  us ;  yes,  in  spite  of  all  hostile  coalitions, 
in  spite  of  the  dreary  rainy  season,  and  of  the  home 
sickness  which  consumed  us, — in  a  word,  in  spite  of 
everything. 

The  tata  once  constructed,  we  were  now  free  to  consider 
our  comfort  a  little,  as  we  had  really  nothing  better  to  do. 
Bluzet,  who  had  already  acted  as  architect  of  the  fort, 
undertook  the  building  of  our  huts.  We  each  had  our  own 
palace,  but  what  a  simple  palace !  A  circular  hollow  rick 
of  straw  some  12  feet  in  diameter,  upheld  by  a  central 
stake,  interlaced  stalks  forming  the  framework  of  the  roof, 
whilst  ropes  were  woven  in  and  out  of  the  straw,  forming 
with  it  a  kind  of  net-work  pattern.  One  little  window 
was  contrived  in  each  hut,  a  mere  porthole  just  big  enough 
to  let  in  air  and  light  but  not  rain,  whilst  a  low  doorway 
was  made  on  the  opposite  side  to  that  from  which  we 
might  expect  tornadoes. 

Lastly,  to  protect  us  from  stray  bullets,  a  little  earthen 
wall,  some  19  inches  high,  was  erected  inside  our  huts, 
so  that  it  just  covered  us  when  we  were  lying  full  length 
at  night.  We  each  did  our  best  to  make  our  own  par- 
ticular niche  cosy  and  ship-shape;  but  in  justice  it  must 
be  said  that  Baudry  and  I  were  the  most  successful,  for 
we  achieved  quite  a  brilliant  result.  Baudry's  straw 
walls   were   a   perfect    museum   of  watches,    instruments. 


STAY   AT   SAY 


303 


medicines,  patterns,  objects  for   exchange,  and   strangest 
of  all — toads  ! 

Father  H  acquart's  hut  was  very  soberly  decorated.  Sacred 
images  were  nailed  to  the  central  stake,  and  in  the  little 
wall — I  very  nearly  said  in  a  corner — was  a  cornet-a-piston, 
which  was  later  the  joy  of  the  chief  of  Bussa,  but  of  which 
I  own  with  the  deepest  regret  we  never  heard  a  single  note. 


FORT  ARCHINARD. 


With  Bluzet  the  keynote  of  the  decorations  was  art.  He 
had  draperies  of  velvet,  a  little  faded  and  frayed  perhaps, 
at  nine-pence  or  so  a  yard,  with  others  of  native  manu- 
facture. Dr.  Taburet's  speciality  was  medicine-bottles, 
with  a  horrible  smell  of  iodoform,  or,  to  be  more  accurate, 
of  all  the  disinfectants  known  to  science,  and  carefully 
protected  in  a  tin  case  set  on  a  what-not,  a  souvenir  he 
never  parted  with,  and  often  gazed  upon,  the  portrait  of  the 
lady  he  was  to  marry  on  his  return  home. 


304  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE    NIGER 

Fili  Kante,  a  boy  in  the  service  of  Bluzet,  who  was  not 
only  cook  but  blacksmith  and  clown  to  the  expedition, 
concocted  a  cocked  hat  for  each  of  our  pointed  huts,  which 
after  a  few  tornadoes  had  passed  over  them  were  worn,  so 
to  speak,  over  one  ear  ! 

The  huts  of  the  men  were  all  very  much  alike,  but  two 
on  the  side  of  the  longest  wall  were  of  course  rather  larger 
than  the  others,  and  of  a  rectangular  shape.  Lastly,  we  had 
a  big  watertight  store  made,  in  which  we  stowed  away  all 
our  valuables.  The  canvas  sail  of  the  foremast  of  the  Aube 
fastened  to  the  ground  served  as  a  kind  of  shelter  for  the 
interpreters,  merchants,  supernumeraries,  etc.,  and  every- 
thing was  covered  over  to  the  best  of  our  ability  with  our 
tents,  awnings,  etc. 

Well,  we  were  under  shelter  now,  and  you  know  what 
kind  of  shelter,  from  the  iaclemency  of  the  rainy  season  and 
the  bullets  of  the  Toucouleurs.  We  had  still  storms  to 
expect,  and  against  them  we  were  less  well  provided.  We 
had  already  encountered  a  few  of  them  unprotected.  We 
had  had  plenty  of  tents,  of  course,  but  we  knew  from  ex- 
perience, that  when  we  saw  the  preliminary  fantasia  of  the 
dried  leaves  on  the  left  bank  beginning,  the  best  thing  to 
do  was  to  put  on  as  quickly  as  possible  all  the  waterproofs 
to  be  had,  and  go  outside  to  meet  the  hurricane,  turning  our 
backs  to  it,  and  at  the  same  time  tightening  the  ropes  of 
the  tents.  It  was  really  the  only  way  not  to  get  it — I  mean 
the  tent,  not  the  hurricane — on  our  shoulders  ! 

It  took  us  a  good  month  of  hard  work  without  any  rest 
to  establish  our  camp.  Every  morning  one  party  went  to 
fetch  straw,  whilst  the  rest  of  us  kept  guard  at  home 
and  worked  at  the  tata.  We  were  all  glad  enough  when 
everything  was  done,  but  at  the  same  time  we  were  rather 
afraid  of  the  ennui  of  inaction,  as  the  following  quotation 
from  my  notes  will  show — 


STAY   AT   SAY 


305 


'^  May  16. — The  tata  was  finished  this  morning,  the  huts, 
a  dining-room,  and  a  gurbi  or  servants'  hall,  a  kitchen,  and 
an  oven  of  a  sort.  There  is  nothing  left  to  do  now,  for 
Suzanne  is  the  only  member  of  our  expedition  still  without 
a  shelter.     Mon  Dieu,  how  dull  it  will  be  !  " 


Truth  to  tell,  we  did  have  some  dull  days,  and  no  mistake  ; 
but  of  course  we  should  have  had  them  in  garrison  or  on 
board  ship.  Fortunately,  however,  to  relieve  the  monotony 
of  our  stay,  a  regular  world  in  miniature  gathered  about  us, 
for  we  had  eager  visitors,  courtiers,  accredited  traders,  not 
to  speak  of  other  guests  we  might  have  had  if  we  had 
chosen. 

X 


3o6  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

I  must  now  introduce  a  few  of  these  people.  Two  men 
played  a  very  important  part  in  our  existence  at  Fort 
Archinard.  These  two  were  Osman  and  Pullo.  The  former 
was  the  man  from  Say,  the  Koyrabero  who  had  been  wait- 
ing for  us  before  we  reached  Sansan-Haussa,  no  doubt  to 
spy  on  us,  and  who  had  come  down  to  Say  with  us  on  the 
Davoust ;  a  vulgar  fellow,  without  either  dignity  or  intelli- 
gence, he  played  the  ignoble  role  of  go-between  all  the  time 
we  were  in  the  neighbourhood.  Of  Songhay  race,  with  a 
dash  of  the  Fulah  in  his  composition,  he  had  the  duplicity 
of  the  latter,  whilst  retaining  all  the  stupidity  of  the 
former. 

He  was  physically  a  handsome  fellow,  with  fine  features, 
as  black  as  a  crow,  but  he  was  getting  old  now,  and  was 
afflicted  not  only  with  tubercular  disease,  but  also  with 
a  kind  of  leprosy,  which  did  not  prevent  him  from  shaking 
hands  with  us  three  times  a  day. 

He  often  came  with  a  marabout  named  Ali,  who  was 
further  gone  in  consumption  than  himself 

Pullo,  or  Pullo  Sidibe,  to  give  his  full  title,  was  a  very 
different  kind  of  man.  Tall,  thin,  with  a  comparatively 
pale  complexion,  he  wore  a  filthy  chechia  or  native  cap 
a  little  on  one  side.  He  had  a  way  of  moving  his  arms 
up  and  down  like  a  semaphore,  and  really  rather  resembled 
a  big  scarecrow  in  rags.  With  a  mysterious  air,  such  as 
a  Sibyl  might  wear,  he  was  constantly  taking  one  or 
another  of  us  aside  to  some  corner,  or  to  an  ant-hill  or 
mound,  far  from  indiscreet  listeners,  to  impart  in  a  solemn 
manner  some  utterly  incredible  false  news  of  which  we 
shall  have  an  example  to  give  presently.  I  must  mention, 
too,  the  way  in  which  he  used  to  smile  when  we  pointed 
out  to  him  in  a  friendly  way  the  mistakes  he  had  made. 
"  Ah,"  he  would  say  to  me  laughing,  "  I  shall  never  go 
back  to  my  fields  as  long  as  you  are  here,  I  shall  never 


STAY  AT   SAY  307 

look  after  my  flock  again.     You  are  my  milch  cow,  you 
are  my  great  lugan." 

He  was  at  no  pains  to  disguise  the  true  motives  for  his 
devotion,  and  we  were  at  least  able  to  hope  to  bind  him 
to  us  by  self-interest. 

Osman  and  Pullo  had  certain  qualities  in  common,  for 
both  were  equally  covetous  of  presents,  and  equally  ready 
to  tell  lies  with  imperturbable  seriousness ;  but  whereas 
Polio  carried  on  his  deceptions  with  the  air  of  a  grand 
seignior  and  the  smile  of  a  superior  man,  such  as  a'Fulah 
might  wear  who  had  been  brought  in  contact  with  the 
Tuaregs,  Osman  showed  his  avarice  and  venality  without 
the  slightest  attempt  at  disguise. 

The  two  enjoyed  a  monopoly  of  the  news,  generally 
false,  as  I  have  already  said,  brought  to  us  from  the  Say 
market.  They  hit  upon  another  dodge  too,  and  a  very 
lucrative  one ;  this  was  to  introduce  to  us  envoys  more  or 
less  genuine,  and  more  or  less  interesting,  from  the  chiefs 
of  the  outlying  districts  and  villages.  At  first  Pullo  or 
Khalifa,  as  he  was  also  called,  worked  at  this  trade  alone, 
and  it  would  be  our  first  amusement  in  the  morning  to 
climb  the  ant-hill  in  front  of  the  fort  and  look  out  for 
him.  We  generally  saw  him  pretty  soon,  his  approach 
heralded  by  a  red  spot  on  the  horizon. 

I  read  in  my  notes  of  May  16 — "At  about  eight  o'clock, 
far  away  on  the  borders  of  the  wood  in  the  direction  of 
Say,  we  see  approaching  the  thin  figure  of  Pullo  Sidibe, 
surmounted  by  his  dirty  fez,  balanced  in  an  uncertain 
kind  of  way  upon  his  head.  He  is  followed  by  a  gentle- 
man in  a  clean  white  biibu.  '  Page,  pretty  page,'  we  cry, 
'  what  news  do  you  bring  ?  ' 

With  this  extraordinary  personage  everything  is  possible. 
I  expect  some  morning  to  hear  him  announce  with  the 
air  of  some  herald  of  a  great  embassy,  "  Amadu  Cheiku ! 


3o8 


THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 


the  Emir  el  Munemin,  or  perhaps  even  the  Grand  Turk, 
or  her  Majesty  the  Queen  ! " 

All  went  well  for  some  time  with  Pullo,  but  when  Osman 
realized  the  rewards  to  be  obtained  by  bringing  news  or 
envoys,  he  set  up  as  a  rival  to  our  first  friend.    The  envoys, 


PULLO    KHALIFA. 


who  were  generally  picked  up  in  the  Friday  market  at 
Say,  now  came  in  pairs,  each  with  his  own  showman. 

After  this  opposition  was  set  up,  a  syndicate  was  of 
course  sure  to  follow.  I  suspect,  however,  that  if  Osman 
sometimes  got  the  chestnuts  out  of  the  fire,  it  was  generally 
Khalifa  who  ate  them. 

I  had  to  dwell  rather  fully  on  these  two  fellows,  they 


STAY   AT   SAY 


309 


played  such  a  very  preponderant  part  in  our  lives,  but 
there  were  others  of  secondary  rank,  so  to  speak,  of  whom 
I  must  say  a  few  words. 

To  begin  with,  there  was  the  acting  chief  of  the  opposite 
village  named  Mamadu,  as  at  least  half  of  his  fellow- 
believers  are.  With  a  clear  complexion  and  an  intelligent 
expression,  he  was  still  a  regular  scamp,  ready  to  lend 
himself  to  any  treachery.  In  the  Fulah  language  there 
is  a  word  which  means  "give  a 
little  present  so  as  to  get  a  very 
big  one."  I  am  not  sure  whether 
there  is  any  word  corresponding 
to  this  in  Songhay,  but  there 
is  not  the  slightest  doubt  that 
the  Koyraberos  know  how  to 
practise  the  manoeuvre  suggested 
by  the  word,  and  Mamadu  was 
an  adept  at  it.  On  one  occasion, 
however,  his  hopes  of  a  present 
were  disappointed,  and  he  was 

guilty  of  a  very  great  mistake.  We  simply  had  to  turn 
him  out  of  the  camp,  and  from  that  moment  he  became 
all  submission  to  us.  Our  coolies  in  their  free-spoken  way 
nicknamed  him  the  blackguard  Mamadu,  and  no  doubt 
he  had  well  merited  the  epithet  by  some  dastardly  deed 
they  knew  of. 

Amongst  our  constant  visitors  was  one  quite  small  boy, 
the  son  of  the  famous  Abd  el  Kader  of  Timbuktu,  who 
had  been  the  guest  of  the  French  Geographical  Society 
there,  a  corresponding  member  of  that  of  Paris,  the  great 
diplomatist  who  had  been  made  a  plenipotentiary  in  spite 
of  himself,  and  who  had  acted  as  guide  to  my  friend 
Caron  in  his  grand  journey.  Abd  el  Kader,  when  driven 
from  Timbuktu,  wandered  about  in  the  districts  near  the 


A  TYl'lCAL    KuURi'l-.V, 


3IO 


THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE    NIGER 


bend  of  the  river.  No  doubt  under  pretence  of  making 
a  pilgrimage  to  Mecca,  he  lived  like  a  true  marabout  at 
the  expense  of  the  natives,  seducing  many  women,  and 
leaving  many  children  behind  him  whose  mothers  he  had 
deserted.     It  is  said  that  he  is  now  with  Samory. 

His  little  son  to  whom  I  referred  above  was  called  "  the 

Arabu."  He  was  very  proud 
of  his  parentage,  and  looked 
upon  his  father  as  a  saint. 
Though  small  for  his  age, 
he  had  a  big  head  of  the 
shape  known  as  hydroce- 
phalic, and  was  a  very  sen- 
sible, intelligent  little  fellow, 
with  quite  refined  instincts. 
From  our  first  arrival  at 
Say  he  had  bravely  come  to 
see  us  on  our  barges,  and 
though  he  was  trembling  in 
all  his  limbs  as  he  spoke,  he 
explained  his  position  clearly 
to  us.  We  made  a  great  fuss 
over  him,  giving  him  sugar 
to  eat.  The  gamins  of  Say 
looked  upon  him  as  partly  a  white,  and  partly  what  they 
call  a  tubabu.  Strange  to  say,  when  there  was  any  difficulty 
with  the  market-women,  who  sometimes  made  a  great 
noise,  singing  seditious  songs  and  dancing  to  their  accom- 
paniment, shouting  out  praises  of  Aliburi  or  Amadu,  it 
was  always  the  little  Arabu  who  was  deputed  to  go  and 
pacify  them.  As  he  expressed  it,  "  the  son  of  an  am- 
bassador, I  too  am  an  ambassador ! " 

This  child  grew  quite  fond  of  us.     Being  on  his  father's 
side  of  more  or  less  Twat  origin,  he  considered  himself 


STAY  AT    SAY  311 

a  white  man  like  ourselves,  and  of  all  our  guests  he  was 
perhaps  the  only  disinterested  one,  if  we  say  nothing 
about  the  sugar. 

Amongst  the  Koyraberos,  it  is  the  children,  boys  or 
girls,  who  are  the  most  attractive.  The  little  negroes  are 
innocent  enough  up  to  twelve  or  thirteen  years  old,  and 
are  often  very  bright  and  intelligent.  But  when  they 
reach  the  age  at  which  they  are  considered  men  and 
women,  the  indulgence  of  their  passions  brutalizes  the 
males,  whilst  the  females  are  worn  out  by  the  number  of 
children  they  all  have.  The  fatalism  of  the  Mahommedans 
gives  them  also  something  of  the  wan  expression  of  oxen 
who  expect  they  know  not  what.  I  believe  the  negro  race 
might  be  very  greatly  improved  by  the  careful  selection 
of  children  before  they  are  subjected  to  evil  influences. 
A  careful  education  of  such  selected  boys  and  girls  would, 
in  the  course  of  a  few  generations,  result  in  the  growing 
up  of  useful  citizens  and  intelligent  workers  for  the  common 
good. 

It  may  be  that  the  decline  in  the  intelligence  of  negroes 
is  partly  the  result  of  the  way  the  children  are  carried 
about  in  infancy  by  their  mothers.  They  ride  pig-a-back 
all  day  long,  kept  in  place  by  a  cotton  band  fastened 
above  the  breasts  of  the  mother,  who  takes  no  notice  of 
them  even  when  they  cry.  The  women  do  everything, 
wash,  beat  the  linen,  cook  and  pound  the  grain,  with  their 
children  tied  to  them  in  this  fashion.  The  head  of  the 
poor  little  one  comes  out  above  the  bandage,  and  is  shaken 
and  flung  backwards  and  forwards  at  every  blow  of  the 
pestle.  It  really  is  very  likely  that  this  perpetual  motion 
injures  the  brain  of  the  growing  child,  and  accounts  for 
the  degeneration  of  the  race. 

However  that  may  be,  the  constant  pressure  on  the 
breasts  of  the  mother  leads  to  their  rapid  disfigurement ; 


312  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

they  look  quite  old  before  they  have  reached  middle  life. 
Every  one  knows  that  negresses  often  give  the  breast  to 
their  babies  over  their  shoulders  or  even  from  under  the 
arm-pit. 

So  far  the  French  have  taken  no  steps  for  the  effective 
occupation  of  Say,  and  Amadu  Cheiku  has  been  undisputed 
master  of  the  country  ever  since  the  breaking  at  Sinder  of 
the  power  of  Madidu  over  the  Tuaregs.  Dunga  was  the 
first  place  in  which  the  Toucouleurs  settled  for  any  time. 
After  their  exodus  many  circumstances  combined  in 
favour  of  their  chief  Driven  from  Sego,  Nioro,  and 
Massina  by  the  French,  as  a  punishment  for  his  many 
crimes  and  treacheries,  he  took  refuge  at  Duentza  near 
Dori,  but  as,  like  a  good  marabout,  he  tried  (from  religious 
motives  of  course)  to  poison  the  chief  and  reign  in  his  stead, 
he  was  expelled  from  the  town  and  had  once  more  to  flee 
for  his  life.  Many  of  his  people  deserted  him  and  returned 
to  Massina.  Wandering  as  a  fugitive  from  village  to 
village  he  passed  his  days  begging  from  hut  to  hut,  trying 
in  vain  to  win  back  the  deserters. 

The  Toucouleurs  found  it  difficult  to  get  a  living  now, 
for  no  one  would  treat  them  as  marabouts  any  longer. 
The  Fulahs  of  Torodi  refused  to  let  them  pass.  Ibrahim 
Galadio,  whose  influence  was  preponderant  throughout  the 
country,  was  not  favourable  to  the  Toucouleurs,  and  they 
now  took  possession  of  Larba  in  independent  Songhay, 
but  the  Logomaten,  or  the  Tuaregs  of  Bokar  Wandieidu, 
defeated  them  with  much  bloodshed  and  took  three 
hundred  of  them  prisoners. 

The  toils  were  closing  in  upon  Amadu  Cheiku,  who, 
taught  caution  by  experience,  expected  to  find  the  French 
skirmishers  at  his  heels  before  they  were  really  there. 
Things  did  indeed  look  black  for  him,  when  a  saviour 
suddenly  arose  in  the  person  of  the  chief  of  Say,  who  had 


STAY  AT   SAY  313 

won  back  Galadio  and  Amiru  of  Torodi  to  the  cause 
of  the  true  religion,  and  at  the  very  time  that  he 
was  signing  a  treaty  with  the  French,  gave  passage  to 
Amadu,  against  whom  he  had  been  pretending  to  need 
our  help. 

Amadu  crossed  the  river,  and  was  hospitably  received 
by  the  people  of  Djerma,  who  gave  him  the  village  of 
Dungu  for  himself  and  his  people. 

Profiting  by  family  quarrels,  the  wily  chief  soon  became 
master,  and  presently  took  possession  of  the  big  village  of 
Karma,  and  it  was  not  until  they  were  all  taken  prisoners, 
that  the  Djermankobes  discovered  that  they  had  been 
warming  and  feeding  a  serpent. 

Now  Amadu  is  once  more  a  great  marabout  in  right  of 
his  inheritance  from  his  father.  El  Hadj  Omar.  He  is  also 
a  formidable  military  chief,  able  to  put  five  hundred  guns 
into  the  field,  for  he  has  that  number  of  Toucouleur  warriors 
under  him.  His  word  is  paramount  from  Sinder  to 
Kibtachi.  Unfortunate  circumstances,  including  the  blood 
shed  by  the  Christians,  have  won  to  his  side  the  whole  of 
the  Mussulman  population,  and  besides  his  five  hundred 
guns,  he  can  dispose  of  from  ten  to  twenty  thousand  so- 
called  archers  or  men  armed  with  spears. 

His  aim,  or  rather  that  of  his  principal  adviser,  Aliburi, 
who  is  really  the  organizer  of  everything,  seems  to  be  to 
join  hands  on  the  one  side  with  Samory,  and  on  the  other 
with  the  Sultan  of  Sokoto,  from  whom,  however,  he  is 
divided  by  the  Kebbi,  Mauri,  and  Gober.  Moreover,  Samory 
has  a  brother  who  was  the  leader  of  the  column  which 
took  to  flight  after  the  French  success  at  Nioro.  He  will 
achieve  his  ends  unless  we  can  prevent  it,  for  his  confedera- 
tion is  strengthened  by  the  fact  that  all  are  united  in 
devotion  to  the  Mussulman  faith,  whilst  the  various  native 
tribes  combined  against  him,  though  they  are  individually 


314  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

braver  and  stronger,  have  nothing  to  bind  them  together 
or  to  lead  them  to  act  in  concert. 

If  this  union  be  brought  about,  the  three  great  slave- 
dealers  of  Western  Africa — Samory,  Amadu,  and  the  Emir 
el  Munemin  of  Sokoto,  will  be  combined  against  all  comers, 
and  we  may  expect  to  see  the  complete  depopulation  of 
the  Niger  districts  above  Say.  Amadu  has  already  begun 
his  operations  down-stream,  where  the  banks  are  deserted, 
the  villages  in  ruins,  and,  where  once  the  Toucouleurs 
women  came  to  draw  water  and  to  wash  their  clothes, 
grow  quantities  of  wild  flowers  and  creepers. 

Let  us  hope,  however,  that  the  recent  occupation  of 
Fandu,  and  the  French  policy  of  establishing  an  effective 
protectorate  over  the  negro  races  may  produce  a  salutary 
effect.i 

The  only  man  in  a  position  to  make  head  against 
Amadu  was  Ibrahim  Galadio,  a  stranger  to  the  country, 
whose  father  had  fled  there,  chased  from  Massina  by  the 
Fulahs  of  Amadu,  the  great  founder  of  the  ephemeral 
dynasty  of  Hamda-Allahi.  Galadio  has  guns,  Galadio  has 
a  tata,  he  is  as  strong  as  the  Toucouleurs,  and  no  one  would 
be  able  to  understand  his  rallying  to  the  cause  of  Amadu 
Cheiku,  and  submitting  to  him,  if  it  were  not  for  the 
prestige  still  attached  to  the  name  of  that  chief's  father.  El 
Hadj  Omar.  Yet  the  former  Sultan  of  Sego  is,  as  every 
one  knows,  a  Mussulman,  with  neither  faith  nor  belief  in 
any  law,  stained  with  numerous  crimes,   a  traitor  to  his 


1  The  occupation  of  Say  is  now  an  accomplished  fact,  and  Amadu 
has  fled  in  a  north-westerly  direction  ;  but  the  French  must  be  more 
than  ever  careful  to  be  on  their  guard  against  his  forces,  aided  by  those 
of  the  Emir  of  Sokoto.  We  must  be  especially  on  the  watch  against 
offensive  action  on  the  part  of  Samory,  for  does  not  a  certain  section 
of  the  English  press  talk  of  arming  and  rousing  against  us  that 
monster  in  human  form  who  under  pretext  of  a  holy  war  is  responsible 
for  the  destruction  of  thousands  of  his  fellow-creatures  .^ 


STAY   AT   SAY  315 

father,  cursed  even  by  him,  cruel  to  his  women,  the 
murderer  of  his  brothers,  avaricious  in  dealing  with  his 
sofas,  and  above  all  the  founder  of  a  heresy. 

The  Torodi  are  hand  and  glove  with  the  Tuaregs,  and 
the  people  of  Say  side  with  them,  but  the  latter  are  not  of 
much  account  as  warriors.  Say  is  really  nothing  more 
than  a  hot-house  for  breeding  second-rate  and  intolerant 


A    FEMALE   TUAREG   BLACKSMITH    IN   THE   SERVICE    OF    IBRAHIM   GALADIO. 


marabouts.  No  tam-tams,  no  games  are  allowed  in  it,  and 
only  on  account  of  its  past  has  it  some  little  historic 
importance. 

The  Gaberos,  the  revolted  vassals  of  the  Awellimiden, 
are  also  on  Amadu's  side.  They  rallied  round  him  volun- 
tarily from  the  first,  but  one  day  when  they  were  beating 
their  tabalas  or  war-drums,  an  envoy  from  Dungu  ran 
through  the  villages  and  staved  in  those  drums,  which 
amongst  negroes  is  considered  the  greatest  insult.     With 


3i6  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

him  went  a  herald  shouting — "  Henceforth  there  is  no  tabala 
in  the  land,  but  that  of  Amadu  Cheiku,  the  son  of  El  Hadj 
Omar!" 

At  the  invocation  of  that  name  so  full  of  prestige,  the 
Gaberos  bowed  their  heads,  and  very  soon  afterwards  they 
had  to  pay  taxes  like  every  one  else. 

The  Sidibees  soon  joined  them,  for  they  and  the  Gaberos 
both  belong  to  the  Fulah  race. 

Other  tribes  such  as  the  Sillabees,  like  the  Wagobes  of 
Sinder  and  the  Sarracolais  of  the  Senegal  districts,  had 
emigrated  here,  after  intestine  quarrels  with  the  Djanaru  of 
Nioro,  whilst  the  Kurteyes,  who  are  Fulahs  of  Massina, 
joined  the  Rimaibes  or  domestic  slaves,  and  the  Bozos  or 
emigrants  from  Fituka,  in  the  time  of  the  Ardos  of 
Massina  under  the  last  of  the  Askias. 

This  fact  of  their  mixed  origin  will  explain  the  courage 
of  these  warrior  tribes,  for  the  Fulahs  of  pure  descent  are 
by  no  means  remarkable  for  bravery. 

Even  during  our  stay  at  Say,  the  Wagobes,  the  Kurteyes, 
and  the  Sillabees  were  certainly  on  Amadu's  side,  though 
their  devotion  was  rather  lukewarm.  Perhaps  if  they  had 
known  that  we  meant  to  stay  in  the  country,  and  had  not 
been  afraid  of  reprisals  after  we  left,  they  would  have 
declared  themselves  on  our  side  ;  in  a  lukewarm  way  of 
course.  It  is  in  fact  on  these  mixed  tribes,  which  are  neither 
entirely  Songhay  nor  Fulah,  though  they  are  all  Mussul- 
mans, that  we  shall  have  to  depend  in  our  future  occupation 
of  the  districts  under  notice. 

In  the  present  state  of  Say  politics  we  must  also  take 
the  Gurma,  the  Fandu,  and  the  Mossi  people  into  account. 
They  are  all  heathens,  but  unfortunately  the  Mahommedan 
religion  daily  wins  recruits  amongst  these  people,  who  were 
once  devoted  to  fetichism  alone.  True  heathens,  as  heathens, 
are  not  worth  much,  for  they  are  cruel,  addicted  to  drink, 


STAY   AT   SAY  317 

and  credulous  of  the  delusions  their  sorcerers  teach  them ; 
but  they  are  worth  a  great  deal  more  than  the  Mussulmans, 
for  fetichism  may  be  improved  upon  and  turned  to  account, 
but  you  can  do  nothing  with  a  Mahommedan. 

The  policy  which  ought  to  be  followed  in  the  districts 
round  Say  is  to  oppose  the  marabout  coalition  which  has 
rallied  about  Amadu,  with  the  fetich-worshipping  people 
of  Gurma  and  the  lukewarm  Mussulmans  of  Dendi  and 
Kebbi.  They  can  be  made  a  defence  against  the  intrusion 
of  fanaticism  and  intolerance. 

Having  now,  as  I  ho^e,  given  something  of  an  idea  of  our 
surroundings,  let  me  relate  how  we  passed  the  day  at  Fort 
Archinard. 

At  about  half-past  five  in  the  morning,  the  one  of  us  five 
whites  who  happened  to  be  on  duty,  shouted  the  order  as 
if  we  were  on  board  ship,  "  Clear  the  decks ! "  There 
was  rarely  any  delay  in  giving  that  order,  for  it  ended 
the  watch  for  the  night,  and  when  one  has  been  walking 
the  quarter-deck  for  some  hours,  one  hastens  to  go  and  get 
a  little  sleep  before  daybreak,  for  in  these  stifling  nights 
the  only  refreshing  rest  is  that  obtained  in  the  early 
morning. 

The  coolies  now  lazily  bestir  themselves.  Digui,  who  is 
the  first  to  get  up,  makes  them  put  away  their  bedding  and 
take  down  the  mosquito-nets,^^  etc.,  shouting  a  kind  of 
parody  of  orders  on  board  ship,  "  Roll  up  your  kits,  roll  up 
your  kits ! "  for  they  all  love  to  fancy  themselves  sailors, 
and  are  proud  of  the  name. 

Then  when  all  are  up  and  dressed,  and  everything  is 
stowed  away,  all  turn  towards  the  rising  sun  to  perform 
their  devotions,  for  most  of  our  men  are  Mussulmans. 
Some  of  them,  who  were  but  lukewarm  believers  when  in 
their  homes  on  the  Senegal,  become  more  and  more  devout 
the  further  they  are  from  their  country.    Much  of  it  is  mere 


3i8  THE    EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

show,  of  course.  Others  really  have  a  kind  of  instinctive 
religion,  a  sort  of  superstitious  terror  of  the  unseen — what 
may  be  called  the  natural  religion  of  fear.  In  every  other 
respect  however,  they  are  brave  enough :  we  have  had 
plenty  of  proof  of  that. 

I  must  add  here,  however,  that  I  have  remarked  rather  a 
singular  fact,  namely,  that  great  religious  zeal  and  endless 
prostrations,  with  much  posing  and  genuflexion,  generally 
coincide  with  fits  of  dishonesty,  lying,  and  treacherous 
behaviour.  One  of  our  fellows,  who  had  hitherto  been  honest 
enough,  took  simultaneously  to  prayer  and  pilfering  our 
beads;  and  a  man  in  whom  I  had  before  had  great  con- 
fidence strutted  about  wearing  strings  of  stolen  property 
on  his  neck  and  arms  without  any  attempt  at  disguise. 
This  put  me  on  my  guard.  Of  course  he  had  every  reason 
to  ask  pardon  of  God  for  his  sins  and  to  keep  on  muttering^ 
"  Astafar  zvallaye^  astafar  wallaye  ! — Pardon,  pardon  !  "  At 
the  same  time  he  had  taken  to  filching  goods  in  the 
market,  an  aggravating  circumstance  of  this  crime  being 
that  he  was  trusted  to  look  after  our  purchases. 

There  were  of  course  some  really  devout  Mahommedans 
amongst  our  men.  Samba  Ahmady,  our  quarter-master,  for 
instance,  always  performed  his  devotions  in  private,  and  was 
a  model  of  probity.  Digui  too  was  a  true  believer,  but 
perhaps  I  should  say  of  him  that  he  was  a  philosopher 
rather  than  a  blinded  Mahommedan.  He  knew  how  to 
return  thanks  to  Allah  without  any  ostentation  when  we 
had  safely  got  through  some  difficulty  or  danger,  and  whilst 
admitting  that  there  were  such  people  as  bad  marabouts, 
he  sometimes  talked  in  a  manner  alike  naive,  touching, 
and  elevated,  of  the  dealings  of  Providence  with  man,  which 
is  indeed  rare,  especially  amongst  illiterate  negroes. 

Then  Ahmady  Mody,  another  trustworthy  fellow,  had  a 
theory  of  his  own  about  salaams,  and  all  that.     I  said  to 


STAY  AT   SAY 


319 


him  one  day,  "  Why  don't  you  perform  your  salaam  when 
the  others  do  ?  " 

"  Commandant,"  he  replied,  "  I  am  too  small ;  I  will  do  it 
when  I  am  married." 

Well,  the  morning  devotions  over,  we  used  to  go  to  work, 
for  there  was  always  something  to  do  ;  the  boats  needed 
repair,  or  we  had  to  add  to  the  tata,  to  unpack  and  repack 
the  bales,  send  out  parties  to  cut  wood  or  straw,  and  last, 


REPAIRING   THE    '    AUBE. 


not  least,  to  drill  the  men,  and  make  them  practice  shooting 
at  a  target.  We  used  to  hear  our  carpenter  Abdulaye 
singing  as  he  conscientiously  worked  at  oar-making,  and  his 
song  did  not  vary  by  an  iota  all  the  time  we  were  at  Say. 
It  was  a  very  monotonous  rhythm  consisting  of  one  word, 
Sdm-ba-ld-a-be-e-e-e-e-e-e-.  Samba  Laobe,  be  it  understood, 
was  one  of  the  heroes  of  the  native  resistance  of  the  French 
in  Cayor,  and  was  killed  in  single  combat  with  Sub- 
Lieutenant  Chauvey  of  the  Spahis  in  1886.     I  don't  think 


320  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

Abdulaye  knew  more  of  the  song  about  this  Samba  than 
the  word  forming  part  of  his  name,  and  though  it  was  a 
seditious  composition  we  could  not  be  angry  with  him,  as 
he  evidently  had  not  the  least  idea  what  it  all  meant. 

Abdulaye,  who  was  a  big,  well-built  Wolof,  had  but  one 
(ambition  during  our  stay  at  Fort  Archinard,  and  that  was  to 
be  allowed  to  go  and  smash  in  the  jaw  of  his  fellow-country- 
man Aliburi,  a  native  of  his  own  village.  This  Aliburi  is 
a  tool  of  Amadu,  chief  champion  of  the  war  to  the  death 
with  the  French,  so  Abdulaye  wishes  to  kill  him  if  his 
master  is  not  to  be  got  at.  "  Aliburi,"  he  would  say,  "  is 
a  bad  Wolof." 

When  the  camp  was  cleaned  and  tidied  up,  the  native 
traders,  male  and  female,  came  with  their  wares,  for  we 
had  started  a  market  at  Fort  Archinard.  When  our  occupa- 
tion began,  one  of  our  chief  fears  was  that  we  should  suffer 
from  famine  through  Amadu's  declared  hostility  to  us.  True, 
there  was  a  village  opposite  to  our  camp,  and  if  the  worst 
came  to  the  worst,  we  could  always  make  an  armed  requisi- 
tion in  Say  itself  But  I  was  very  averse  to  any  such 
measures.  They  would  have  been  far  too  great  a  departure 
from  the  pacific  tactics  we  had  so  far  pursued,  and  which 
were  enjoined  by  our  instructions.  I  was  anxious  to  pre- 
serve that  attitude,  and  to  carry  out  my  instructions  to  the 
letter.  The  people  at  Say  seemed  at  the  first  very  unwill- 
ing to  sell  us  anything.  They,  of  course,  ran  considerable 
risk  of  being  robbed  on  their  way  to  us,  indeed  this  really 
did  happen  more  than  once,  and  the  chief  of  Say,  though  he 
did  not  forbid  their  coming  to  our  camp,  did  not  encourage - 
it,  so  that  those  who  did  venture  asked  extortionate  prices, 
thirty-five  to  forty  cubits,  or  about  twenty-one  yards  of  stuff 
for  a  sheep,  for  instance ;  but  we  were  able  to  buy  good 
food  for  ourselves  and  our  men,  which  was  the  most 
important  thing  after  all. 


STAY   AT   SAY 


321 


The  first  thing  in  the  morning  we  used  to  see  the  native 
traders  squatting  on  the  bank  opposite  Fort  Archinard 
waiting  for  the  little  barge  worked  by  a  few  men,  to  go  over 
and  fetch  them.  Most  of  these  merchants  I  must  add  were 
women,  and  I  really  do  think  that  before  they  left  Say  they 
must  have  passed  an  examination  in  ugliness,  for  I  never 
saw  such  frights  anywhere  as  our  first  lady  visitors  here. 


OUR    MARKET   AT   FORT   ARCHINARD. 


As  time  goes  on  I  know  many  discover  something  like  beauty 
in  native  women,  and  there  are  some  who  think  them  as 
good-looking  as  their  sisters  of  pale  complexions.  Even 
those  who  do  not  exactly  admire  them  are  interested  in 
them  because  they  are  types  of  a  race,  but  for  all  that, 
negresses,  like  English  women  when  they  are  ugly  at  all,  are 
really  revoltingly  ugly. 

Well,  ugly  or  not,  our  market-women  soon  set  out  their 
wares  on  a  kind  of  platform  a  little  up-stream  from  the 


32: 


THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 


camp.  The  bugmil,  or  negro  trader,  has  his  own  particular 
mode  of  proceeding ;  he  does  not  expect  to  be  spoken  to, 
everything  is  done  by  gesture.  The  djula,  or  merchant, 
crouches  on  the  ground,  with  his  wares  spread  out  in  front 
of  him.  The  buyer  passes  along,  looks  at  the  wares,  and 
offers  his  cowries  or  cloth  in  exchange.  If  the  price  is  suit- 
able the  bargain  is  concluded,  if  not  the  djula  shakes  his 


MARKET   AT   FORT    ARCHINARD. 


head,  making  a  sign,  signifying  "  No,"  and  the  would-be 
buyer  goes  away  or  squats  down  himself  to  await  his  time. 
Sometimes  the  price  is  lowered,  or  the  purchaser  adds  a 
few  cowries  to  his  original  offer.  There  is  none  of  the  noise 
usual  in  European  markets,  none  of  the  flow  of  language 
so  characteristic  of  them.  Each  party  to  a  bargain  tries 
to  tire  out  the  other,  but  neither  of  them  wastes  any 
words. 

The  first  price  asked  by  a  negro  is  never  the  same  as  that 


STAY   AT   SAY  323 

he  means  to  take.  A  reduction  of  at  least  half,  sometimes 
much  more,  is  made. 

Not  knowing  what  attitude  the  Koyraberos  might  assume 
towards  us  in  the  future,  our  first  care  on  our  arrival  at  the 
site  of  Fort  Archinard  was  to  take  advantage  of  their 
present  good-will,  and  buy  in  a  good  store  of  cereals  and 
animals. 

We  soon  made  up  our  minds  what  prices  we  would  give, 
for  the  circumstances  were  exceptional,  and  we  wanted  rice 
or  millet  and  sheep  enough  to  last  us  for  three  months. 
That  once  accomplished,  we  could  afford  to  think  of  economy 
and  fix  our  own  prices.  The  currency  employed  was  white 
cloth,  and  my  private  opinion  is  that  certain  commercial 
arrangements  were  agreed  upon  amongst  the  notables  of 
Say,  showing  no  mean  intelligence  on  their  part.  They 
meant  to  buy  up  all  our  merchandise,  whether  cloth,  copper, 
or  beads. 

This  is  what  actually  happened  ;  as  we  only  gave  one  or 
two  cubits  of  cloth  for  objects  of  little  value,  no  real  use 
could  be  made  of  them,  so  they  were  sold  again  to  specu- 
lators, who  bought  them  at  a  very  low  price  from  their 
needy  owners,  and  then  hid  them  away.  Nothing  more 
was  seen  of  them  during  our  stay,  but  when  we  were  gone 
they  meant  to  produce  them,  and  ask  extortionate  prices 
for  them. 

Our  average  prices  fluctuated  in  an  extraordinary  way. 
We  presently  superseded  Suleyman,  who  was  too  much  of 
a  talker,  and  tried  other  men  as  buyers,  but  we  really  had 
not  a  single  coolie  who  was  a  good  djula  ;  at  last  in  despair 
Baudry  was  obliged  to  take  the  task  upon  himself,  and 
every  morning  he  went  to  market  to  lay  in  a  supply  of  pro- 
visions, buying  grain  and  sheep,  milk  and  butter.  He  was 
probably  the  only  buyer  who  took  no  perquisites  for  himself. 

We  got  to  know  personally  all  the  frightful  negresses 


324  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

who  served  us.  We  talked  to  them  at  first  by  signs,  every 
one  using  a  kind  of  language  of  his  own.  Father  Hacquart 
became  very  popular  amongst  them,  for  he  could  speak  the 
Arabic  employed  by  the  so-called  marabouts,  and  haggle 
in  Songhay  with  the  Koyraberos,  whether  male  or  female. 
Some  of  the  negresses  hit  upon  a  very  clever  dodge,  for 


A   YOUNG   GIRL   OF    SAY. 


instead  of  selling,  they  gave.  They  brought  presents  to  the 
Father,  to  the  Commandant,  and  to  the  other  officers,  such 
various  gifts  as  calabashes  of  honey,  eggs,  milk,  poultry, 
etc.,  but  the  principle  was  always  to  give  a  little  to  receive 
much.  Truth  to  tell,  it  is  very  difficult  to  refuse  to  fall  in 
with  the  idea  when  the  presents  are  offered  in  such  an 
insinuating  way. 


STAY   AT   SAY  325 

By  these  means  we  started  a  fine  poultry  farm,  and  our 
chickens  lived  in  the  abattis  of  our  enceinte.  Their  life 
was  not  altogether  a  happy  one  at  Fort  Archinard ;  they 
became  too  familiar,  and,  poor  things,  this  cost  them  dear. 
Bluzet  and  I — this  is  a  merciless  age — used  to  shoot  at  them 
from  a  little  bow  with  arrows  made  of  bits  of  bamboo 
pointed  with  a  pin,  waging  pitiless  war  on  those  who  came 
to  drink  at  our  well,  or  who  dared  to  go  so  far  as  to  disturb 
us  when  we  had  gone  to  snatch  a  little  rest  and  coolness  in 
our  huts. 

We  made  rather  an  important  discovery  in  connection 
with  this  shooting  of  our  poultry.  Osman  had  secretly 
smuggled  some  poisoned  arrows  into  our  camp,  and  we 
drove  the  point  of  one  of  them  into  the  head  of  a  hen 
which  had  already  been  wounded  by  Bluzet.  The  result 
was  astonishing,  for  the  next  day  the  hen  was  cured  of 
her  first  hurt,  and  able  to  run  about  as  if  nothing  had 
happened. 

This  must  not,  however,  lead  any  one  to  be  careless 
about  wounds  from  poisoned  arrows  :  some  are  always 
mortal.  The  stuff  with  which  they  are  smeared  consists 
of  wax  and  kiina^  or  extract  of  a  common  gum,  forming 
a  very  strong  poison  which,  however,  quickly  loses  its 
efficacy.  The  best  thing  to  do  when  struck  by  such  an 
arrow  is  to  burn  the  wound  immediately,  or  to  inject 
chloride  of  gold  all  round  it  under  the  skin.  A  simpler 
treatment  still  is  just  to  fill  the  w^ound  with  gunpowder 
and  set  fire  to  it ;  but  this  is  rather  too  Spartan  a  remedy  for 
everybody. 

Our  market  was  the  chief  excitement  of  the  morning,  for 
in  it  we  could  study  typical  natives,  and  note  the  special 
peculiarities  of  each.  The  population  of  Say  and  the  sur- 
rounding districts  is  very  mixed,  including  Songhays,  Fulahs, 
Haussas,    Djermankobes,    Macimankes,     Mossi,    Gurunsi, 


326 


THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 


Kurteyes,  etc.,  each  with  cicatrized  wounds  of  a  different 
kind  on  their  faces,  as  is  the  case  with  so  many  African 
tribes. 

The  market,  too,  is  the  best  place  for  getting  reliable 
news,  and  besides,  the  very  attitude  of  the  different  traders 
towards  each  other  is  a  revelation  of  the  state  of  feeling  in 
the  country.     If  a  great  many  assembled  it  was  a  sign  that 


TYPICAL   NATIVES    AT   THE   FORT    ARCHINARD   MARKET. 


all  was  going  on  well  for  us,  that  the  report  of  the  French 
Expedition  was  spreading,  and  that  Amadu  Saturu  was 
likely  to  come  to  his  senses  about  us.  If  the  attendance  at 
the  market  fell  off,  however,  it  was  a  sign  that  hostile  columns 
were  being  called  together,  why  we  could  not  tell,  but 
probably  to  attack  us  ;  or  again  some  new  check  was  to  be 
put  upon  our  buying  or  selling.  Once  indeed  Amadu 
made  a  feeble  effort  to  reduce  us  by  famine,  and  our  supply 
of  sheep  was  stopped  for  a  time.     But  a  threat  made  to 


STAY   AT   SAY  327 

Osman  on  purpose  that  he  should  repeat  it,  that  we  would 
go  and  fetch  the  sheep  from  Say  for  ourselves,  was 
immediately  successful,  for  the  next  day  the  best  and 
cheapest  animals  we  had  yet  procured  were  brought  to  us. 
We  never  ate  better  mutton  before  or  since. 

Whilst  the  market  was  going  on,  Taburet  used  to  pre- 
scribe for  many  natives  who  came  to  consult  him.  But 
carelessness  and  ignorance  work  terrible  havoc  among  the 
negroes  everywhere.  There  would  be  plenty  for  a  doctor 
to  do  who  cared  to  study  diseases  now  become  rare  in 
civilized  countries.  From  amongst  the  patients  who  came 
to  Taburet,  a  grand  or  rather  terrible  list  of  miraculous 
cures  might  have  been  drawn  up.  These  patients  included 
men  and  women  suffering  from  tubercular  and  syphilitic 
diseases,  which  had  been  allowed  to  run  their  dread  course 
unchecked  by  any  remedies  whatever ;  many  too  were  blind 
or  afflicted  with  goitre  and  elephantiasis,  whilst  there  were 
numerous  lepers.  Few,  however,  were  troubled  with  nervous 
complaints.  It  was  indeed  difficult  to  prescribe  for  such 
cases  as  came  before  the  good  doctor  ;  indeed  it  would  often 
have  been  quite  impossible  for  his  instructions  to  be  carried 
out.  Many  poor  cripples  came  from  a  long  distance  to 
consult  the  white  doctor,  expecting  to  be  made  whole 
immediately,  when  they  were  really  incurable.  Where, 
however,  would  have  been  the  good  of  prescribing  cleanli- 
ness, when  one  of  their  most  used  remedies  is  to  smear  any 
wound  with  mud  and  cow-dung  mixed  together,  the  eyes 
of  ophthalmic  patients  even  being  treated  with  the  horrible 
stuff?  Where  would  be  the  good  of  ordering  them  nourish- 
ing food  such  as  gravy  beef,  when  they  are  too  poor  to  get 
it  ?  Good  wine  ?  Even  if  we  could  have  supplied  them 
with  it,  they  would  have  flung  it  away  with  horror,  for  they 
are  Mussulmans.  Quinine  then  ?  Its  bitterness  would  have 
made    them   suspect   poison.     They   all   came   expecting 


328  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

miracles,  and  all  that  could  be  done  for  them  was  to  paint 
their  sore  places  with  iodine,  and  to  give  them  various 
lotions  and  antiseptic  dressings,  or  a  solution  of  iodide  of 
potassium,  and  so  on,  from  the  use  of  which  they  would, 
most  of  them,  obtain  no  benefit  at  all. 

Taburet  was  consulted  about  all  sorts  of  things.  For 
instance,  a  pretty  Fulah  woman  from  Saga  with  a  pale 
complexion  and  engaging  manners  had  got  into  trouble. 
She  had  overstepped  the  bounds  of  reserve  prescribed  in 
her  tribe  to  young  girls,  and  was  soon  to  become  a  mother. 
Well,  she  came  timidly  to  the  doctor  to  ask  for  medicines 
for  her  case,  and  when  it  was  explained  to  her  that  that 
case  was  incurable,  for  the  French  law  forbids  the  destruction 
of  life,  she  went  away,  only  to  return  the  next  day  with 
her  mother.  The  latter  explained  that  if  she  and  her 
daughter  returned  to  their  village  as  things  were,  they 
would  both  be  stoned  to  death,  or  at  least,  if  their  judges 
were  merciful,  be  put  in  irons  for  the  rest  of  their  lives. 
The  young  girl  was  pretty,  many  men  in  her  village  had 
asked  her  in  marriage,  but  she  had  refused  them  all. 
All  her  people  were  now  eager  to  revenge  themselves  on 
her,  and  to  apply  in  all  their  terrible  rigour,  the  "just 
Mussulman  laws."  She  had  neither  father,  brother,  nor 
any  one  to  defend  her.  Her  seducer  had  deserted  her,  and 
it  is  not  customary  amongst  the  Fulahs  to  make  inquiries 
as  to  the  father  of  illegitimate  children. 

The  people  of  Say  had  recommended  the  mother  in 
mockery  to  take  her  girl  to  the  Christians,  she  was  good 
for  nothing  else  now,  they  said.  If  we  could  not  cure  her, 
there  was  nothing  left  for  them  to  do  but  to  hide  them- 
selves in  the  fetich-worshipping  village  of  Gurma,  where 
they  would  lead  a  miserable  life,  unnoticed  and  unknown. 

The  two  poor  women  with  tears  in  their  eyes  knelt  to 
the   doctor   imploring   his   help,   and    crying    Safarikoy ! 


STAY   AT   SAY  329 

Safarikoy  !  and  I  asked  myself,  what  would  be  the  duty 
of  a  doctor  in  this  bigoted  land  if  he  had  had  the  necessary 
instruments  for  meeting  the  unfortunate  girl's  wishes. 
Perhaps  it  was  as  well  that  in  this  case  nothing  could  be 
done. 

All  the  same  this  domestic  drama  was  very  heart-rending. 
I  tried  for  a  long  time  to  console  our  visitors.  The  old 
woman  stuck  to  her  request  for  medicine,  and  promised 
to  reward  us  with  everything  she  could  think  of  likely  to 
please  us.  She  even  offered  us  her  daughter,  saying  that 
she  might  remain  with  us,  and  could  follow  us  wherever 
we  went. 

I  told  Digui  to  get  rid  of  them  as  gently  as  possible,  and 
gave  them  a  good  present  to  enable  them  to  reach  some 
heathen  village  where  the  people  would  have  pity  on  them. 
They  departed  at  last,  the  mother's  tears  soaking  her 
tattered  garments,  the  daughter  following  her,  her  little 
feet  swollen  with  walking,  and  her  head  drooping  in  her 
despair. 

A  propos  of  this  episode,  Suleyman  the  interpreter  held 
forth  in  the  following  strain — "  From  the  earliest  times 
prophets,  marabouts,  and  the  negro  chiefs  who  founded  the 
religious  dynasty  of  the  country,  have  been  terribly  severe 
on  any  lapse  from  morality  amongst  their  women,  but  it  is 
all  humbug,  for  most  of  the  marabouts  are  the  fathers  of 
illegitimate  children. 

"Amongst  Amadu's  people  the  man  and  woman  who 
have  sinned  are  deprived  of  all  their  property,  but  Abdul 
Bubakar  goes  still  further,  for  he  sacks  the  entire  village 
to  which  a  frail  woman  belongs,  a  capital  way  of  getting 
slaves  and  everything  else.  In  other  districts  the  woman 
is  put  in  irons,  but  the  man  goes  free  ;  but  if  the  seducer 
comes  forward  and  owns  his  crime,  he  can  obtain  remission 
of  the  punishment  by  payment  of  a  large  sum  to  the  chief 


330 


THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 


of  the  village  ;  generally,  however,  the  unfortunate  girl  dies 
in  her  chains. 

"  Such  are  the  manners  and  customs  of  the  Mussulmans, 
and  God  alone  knows  what  their  women  are  really 
like. 

"  Samory  used  to  kill  both  the  guilty  parties,  but  Tieba, 
his  enemy  and  neighbour,  professed  an  amiable  kind  of 


\VOMi:X   OF   SAV 


philosophy  on  the  subject  of  the  weaker  sex  and  the  ways 
of  women.  When  Samory  was  conquered  by  Tieba,  the 
chief  auxiliaries  of  the  latter  were  the  nomad  Diulas  who 
were  strangers  in  the  land.  These  Diulas  had  come  to  the 
district  by  way  of  Sikasso,  where  they  had  met  with 
women  of  free  and  easy  manners,  and  had  been  driven 
by  the  force  of  circumstances  to  remain  amongst  them, 
adopting  their  ways.  Now  it  generally  happens  amongst 
the  negroes,  that  those  who  have  travelled  much  and  seen 


STAY   AT   SAY  331 

something  of  the  world  are  not  only  brave  but  sensible 
and  free  from  bigotry. 

"  Samory,  who  was  so  fond  of  cutting  off  heads  in 
obedience  to  the  injunctions  of  the  Koran,  had  a  wife 
named  Sarankeni,  who  is  still  his  favourite,  and  she  was 
the  one  to  lay  her  finger  on  the  cause  of  his  defeat,  when 
he  was  still  smarting  from  its  effects.  She  saw  that  it  was 
the  .women  of  easy  morals  who  prevented  the  strangers 
who  had  aided  Tieba  from  deserting  him  in  his  need. 
Samory  was  open  to  conviction,  and  since  then  " — according 
to  Suleyman,  though  I  think  he  exaggerated — "  if  one  of 
the  chiefs  people  discovers  that  a  woman  or  a  daughter  of 
his  house  has  gone  wrong,  he  gives  a  fee  to  the  seducer,  or 
at  least  offers  him  refreshments  and  speaks  him  fair, 
and  this  has  now  become  the  fashion  throughout  the 
districts  reigned  over  by  the  great  Fama.  Sarankeni,  the 
favourite,  the  giver  of  the  advice  which  led  to  the  change, 
is  alone  excepted  from  the  new  rule."  Probably,  as  she 
is  still  young,  she  had  a  very  different  motive  for  her 
conduct  than  that  generally  accepted. 

Whilst  the  market  was  going  on,  we  used  also  to  make 
a  tour  of  inspection  in  our  kitchen-garden.  An  officer  of 
the  garrison  of  Timbuktu  had  been  good  enough  to  give 
us  some  packets  of  the  usual  seeds,  and  under  the  skilled 
direction  of  the  doctor  we  had  had  a  plot  of  ground  cleared, 
manured,  and  planted.  To  sow  seed  is  one  thing,  however, 
to  reap  results  is  another,  and  in  spite  of  the  delicate 
attentions  of  Atchino,  our  man  from  Dahomey,  our  gardener 
for  the  nonce,  who  religiously  watered  the  seeds  every 
morning,  and  in  spite  of  the  visits  we  paid  to  our  plantations 
at  dawn  and  eventide,  no  great  results  ensued.  Probably 
the  sheep  and  goats,  who  were  greedy  creatures  all  of  them, 
got  the  pick  of  everything,  in  spite  of  the  thorn  hedge  we 
had  put  up  round  our  garden. 


332  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

All  we  got  ourselves  were  a  few  big  tomatoes,  some 
cucumbers,  some  little  pink  radishes,  and  two  or  three 
salads.  You  can  just  imagine  our  delight  when  on  one 
occasion  Taburet  triumphantly  brought  in  three  radishes 
apiece. 

For  all  that,  we  can't  be  too  grateful  for  our  garden.  If 
we  did  not  get  many  vegetables,  we  always  had  the  hope 
of  getting  some,  and  the  pleasure  of  watching  the  growth 
of  various  weeds  which  we  expected  to  turn  out  to  be 
lettuces,  beetroots,  or  cabbages,  and  we  used  to  say  joyfully, 
"  When  that  is  big  enough  to  eat,  or  when  this  is  ready," 
and  so  on.  The  hope  of  luxuries,  when  we  are  provided 
with  all  that  is  absolutely  necessary,  is  always  cheering. 

Whilst  we  are  on  the  subject  of  food,  I  may  as  well 
say  a  little  about  what  we  lived  on  during  our  stay  at 
Fort  Archinard.  In  spite  of  our  long  distance  from  home 
we  must  be  strictly  accurate,  and  I  am  almost  ashamed 
to  own  that  we  were  never  reduced  to  having  to  eat  our 
dogs.  Nor  was  the  reason  for  this  the  fact  that  we  had 
no  dogs  with  us  to  eat.  Far  from  that ;  we  had  three 
dogs,  one  after  the  other,  not  to  speak  of  the  cats  already 
referred  to.  Our  three  dogs  were  all,  I  don't  know  why, 
called  Meyer.  They  were  yellow,  famished-looking  beasts, 
who  were  native  to  the  country,  and  rather  savage.  All 
came  to  a  sad  end  and  got  lost,  but  I  don't  know  exactly 
what  became  of  them.  Once  more,  however,  I  swear  by 
Mahomet  we  did  not  eat  one  of  them. 

Although  we  ate  no  dogs  we  managed  to  subsist,  for  we 
were  never  without  sheep  or  rice.  The  diet  was  not  much 
to  boast  of,  and  we  had  to  keep  a  whole  flock  in  our  island 
always,  for  there  was  very  little  pasturage  on  our  small 
domain  for  some  twenty  or  thirty  animals.  After  a  few 
days  of  such  nourishment  as  they  got,  our  sheep  became 
anaemic,  and  their  flesh  turned  a  greenish  colour.     Still  we 


STAY   AT   SAY  333 

managed  to  eat  it  in  semi-darkness.  On  the  other  hand, 
our  rice  was  ahvays  good.  That  grown  in  the  country 
is  small,  and  of  a  slightly  reddish  colour.  It  swells  less  in 
cooking  than  the  white  rice  of  Cochin  China  or  Pegu,  but 
it  has  a  nicer  and  a  stronger  taste.  Taburet  used  to  swear 
by  all  the  heathen  gods  that  he  would  never  eat  rice,  yet 
very  soon  he  could  not  do  without  it.  Fili  Kante,  already 
mentioned,  turned  out  a  first-rate  cook,  and  he  really  did 
deserve  praise  for  what  he  achieved,  for  we  were  none  of  us 
able  to  help  him  with  advice.  True,  the  Commandant  had 
made  everybody's  mouth  water  by  saying  that  he  would 
take  charge  of  the  pot  as  soon  as  the  expedition  arrived 
at  Say;  but  he  never  troubled  his  head  about  the  matter 
again. 

He  did,  however,  sometimes  preside  at  the  cooking  of 
inechuis,  that  is  to  say,  of  sheep  roasted  whole  on  the  spit 
in  the  Arab  style,  and  the  mecJiuis  of  Fort  Archinard  were 
celebrated — on  the  island  ! 

Rice  and  mutton  were  the  staples  of  our  meals.  Every 
morning  Fili  Kante  used  to  come  to  the  chief  of  the  mess 
and  say,  as  if  he  were  announcing  a  new  discovery — "  I  shall 
give  you  mutton  and  rice  to-day.  Lieutenant." — "  And 
what  else?"  I  would  ask. — "An  omelette." — "And  after 
that  ?  " — "  A  nougat  and  some  cheese." 

You  read  that  word  nougat  ?  Well  now,  would  you  like 
to  know  what  it  was  made  of?  Here  is  the  recipe  (not 
quite  the  same  as  that  for  Montelimar  almond  cake) :  Take 
some  honey ;  make  it  boil ;  add  to  it  some  pea-nuts  shelled 
and  ground.  Turn  it  all  out  on  to  a  cold  plate — the  bottom 
of  an  empty  tin  will  do  if  you  have  nothing  else — and  let  it 
stand  till  cold. 

It  makes  a  capital  dessert,  I  can  tell  you,  especially  when 
there  is  nothing  better  to  be  had. 

You  read,  too,  that  we  were  to  have  cheese.     We  could 


334  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

generally  get  as  much  milk  as  we  liked,  and  it  made  a 
first-rate  cheese  the  second  day ;  quite  delicious,  I  assure 
you.  We  generally  had  cheese  for  all  our  mid-day  meals, 
and  nougat  at  supper  or  dinner,  whichever  you  like  to 
call  it. 

Sometimes,  too,  we  fished,  but  there  was  not  very  much 
to  be  got  out  of  the  Niger  near  P'ort  Archinard  ;  now  and 
then,  however,  we  succeeded  in  making  a  good  haul,  enough 
for  a  meal,  with  the  use  of  a  petard  of  gun-cotton. 

The  fish  we  caught  in  the  Niger  were  much  the  same 
as  those  found  in  the  Senegal.  The  kind  the  natives  call 
"captains"  and  ntebes  are  very  delicate  in  flavour,  and 
often  of  considerable  size.  We  once  caught  a  "  captain  "  at 
Gurao  on  the  Debo,  weighing  nearly  80  lbs.  It  took  two 
men  to  carry  it,  and  when  it  was  hung  from  a  pole  it 
trailed  on  the  ground.  But  we  rarely  had  such  luck  as 
this  at  Fort  Archinard. 

Another  kind  of  fish,  called  the  machoiran,  with  very 
flat  jaws,  was  to  be  found  in  the  mud  and  ooze  of  the 
Niger,  but  beware  of  eating  its  flesh.  If,  it  is  said,  you  cut 
the  fat  off  its  tail  (Heaven  only  knows  if  it  has  any),  by 
mistake,  at  full  moon,  and  then  drink  some  fresh  milk, 
and  sleep  out  of  doors  for  the  rest  of  the  night  on  a  white 
coverlet,  and  then  in  the  morning  drink  a  basin  of  water, 
you  will  surely  catch  leprosy.  I  don't  suppose  the  lepers 
of  Say  had  really  taken  all  these  precautions  to  ensure 
having  the  disease. 

I  must  add  that  there  is  one  thing  which  all  travellers 
in  Africa  will  find  very  useful.  I  allude  to  the  Prevet 
tablets  of  condensed  food.  We  can  justly  testify  to  their 
efficacy,  whether  they  are  Julienne,  carrots,  Brussels  sprouts, 
pears,  or  apples.  They  are  light,  easily  carried,  and  easily 
divided.  To  have  used  them  once  is  recommendation 
enough,  but  it  is  necessary  to  know  how  to  prepare  them. 


STAY   AT   SAY  335 

and  not  to  follow  Baudry's  example,  who  one  day  served 
us  some  Prevet  spinach,  which  tasted  for  all  the  world 
like  boiled  hay.  If  ever  you  travel  with  him,  don't  make 
him  chief  of  the  commissariat. 

In  the  morning  we  also  worked  at  making  our  map, 
for  we  should  certainly  never  have  been  able  to  finish  it 
in  Paris  in  the  limited  time  we  should  be  allowed  for  it. 


FORT   ARCHINARD. 


We  made  a  duplicate  copy  of  the  map,  grosso  modo,  from 
Timbuktu  to  Say,  to  guard  against  the  possible  loss  of 
one  of  the  barges.  Then  came  the  time  for  taking  our 
daily  dose  of  twenty  centigrammes  of  quinine  dissolved 
in  two  centilitres  of  alcohol,  which,  truth  to  tell,  was  any- 
thing but  pleasant  to  the  taste.  Even  Abdulaye  himself, 
who  could  swallow  anything,  made  a  wry  face  at  this 
terrible  mixture ;  but  to  help  us  to  digest  the  everlasting 
mutton  and  rice  boiled  in  water,  and  to  keep  down  the 


336  THE  EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

symptoms  of  fever  which  threatened  us  all,  nothing  could 
be  better. 

I  cannot  too  often  insist  on  the  fact  that  it  was,  thanks 
to  the  daily  dose  of  quinine  regularly  administered  by 
order  to  every  member  of  the  expedition,  that  we  owe 
our  safe  return  in  good  health,  and  with  appetites 
unimpaired. 

We  owe  to  it,  too,  the  fact  that  in  spite  of  many  fevers 
in  past  days,  we  actually  had  gained,  on  our  return  to 
Paris,  not  only  in  weight,  but  in  our  power  of  enjoying 
a  joke. 

Last  January,  after  my  return  to  France,  I  had  been 
giving  an  account  at  a  public  meeting  of  the  results  of  my 
expedition,  and  my  companions  and  I  were  going  down 
the  staircase  of  the  Sorbonne,  attended  by  a  considerable 
crowd,  when  two  gentlemen,  radiant  with  health,  evidently 
from  the  French  colonies,  and  geographers,  else  why  were 
they  there?  exchanged  their  impressions  as  they  passed  us. 
"  Pooh,"  said  one  of  them,  shrugging  his  shoulders,  "  they 
have  not  even  got  dirty  heads  !  " 

After  lunch  we  all  went  to  take  a  little  siesta,  or  at  least 
to  rest  during  the  great  heat  of  the  day.  The  siesta, 
though  so  much  in  use  in  the  tropics,  is  really  a  very 
bad  habit,  and  many  ailments  of  the  stomach  are  caused 
by  it.  It  is  really  better  only  to  indulge  in  a  noonday 
nap  after  exceptional  fatigue ;  but  of  course  it  is  a  very 
different  matter  just  to  avoid  active  exercise  imme- 
diately after  a  meal,  and  to  read  quietly  without  going 
to  sleep.  To  wind  up  all  this  advice  to  future  travellers 
in  the  Sudan,  let  me  just  add  this  one  more  word,  "  Do 
as  I  say  rather  than  as  I  did." 

Many  of  the  coolies  did  not  go  to  sleep  in  the  resting 
hour,  but  chatted  together  about  the  news  of  the  day,  or 
gave  each  other  a  little  elementary  instruction,  for  negroes, 


STAY  AT   SAY  337 

even  when  grown  up,  are  very  fond  of  teaching  and  of 
being  taught.  Their  ambition,  however,  is  generally  limited 
to  learning  to  write  a  letter  to  their  friends  or  family. 
They  take  great  delight  in  corresponding  with  the 
absent,  and  I  have  known  young  fellows  in  the  Sudan 
who  spend  nearly  all  their  salaries  in  sending  telegraphic 
despatches  to  their  friends.  I  knew  others,  amongst  whom 
was  Baudry's  servant,  who  gave  up  most  of  their  free  time 
at  Say  to  writing  letters  which  never  reached  their  destina- 
tion, for  a  very  good  reason.  They  were  all  much  in  the 
style  of  the  one  quoted  below — 

"  Dear  Mr.  Fili  Kante, — I  write  to  inform  you  that  the 
Niger  Hydrographical  Expedition  has  arrived  at  Fort 
Archinard,  and  that,  thanks  to  God,  all  are  well.  When 
you  write  to  me,  send  me  news  of  my  father  and  mother, 
and  my  friends  at  Diamu  (the  writer's  native  village).  I 
shall  be  very  pleased,  too,  if  you  will  send  the  twelve  samba 
{seinbe)  (coverlets),  four  horses,  ten  sheep,  etc. 

"  With  my  best  greetings,  dear  Mr.  Fili  Kante. 
"(Signed)     MUSSA  DiAKHlTE 

(in  the  service  of  Mr.  Baudry.)  " 

Might  you  not  fancy  this  letter,  with  all  its  decorative 
strokes,  to  be  one  from  the  soldier  Dumanet  to  his  parents  ? 
Nothing  is  wanted  to  complete  the  resemblance,  not  even 
the  attempt  to  fleece  his  correspondent. 

Besides  these  lovers  of  correspondence,  there  were  others 
who  were  mad  about  arithmetic.  Samba  Demba,  Suzanne's 
groom,  already  often  mentioned,  wanted  to  know  enough 
arithmetic  to  matriculate.  All  through  the  hour  of  the 
siesta,  and  often  also  when  he  was  at  work,  he  was 
muttering  the  most  absurd  numbers  over  to  himself;  absurd 
for  him,  at  least,  for  the  negroes  who  do  not  live  where 


338 


THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 


the  cowry  serves  as  currency,  cannot  conceive  the  idea 
of  any  number  beyond  a  thousand.  Samba  Demba  would 
read  what  he  called  his  "  matricula  "  of  nine  figures  and  more, 
to  Father  Hacquart,  with  the  greatest  complacency,  whilst 
Ahmady-Mody,  who  had  patched  up  the  Aiibe,  strove  in 
vain  to  learn  b-a  ba,  b-e  be,  or  twice  two  are  four,  twice 
three  are  six,  with  his  head  bent  over  a  big  card.  The 
marabout  Tierno  Abdulaye  actually  composed  and  sung 
Arabic  verses.  In  the  midst  of  it  all  the  voice  of 
Dr.  Taburet  would  be  heard  from  his  tent  hard  by 
complaining  that  he  could  not  sleep. 

All  these  good  fellows,  with  their  eagerness  to  learn, 
had  a  child-like  side  to  their  characters.  There  is  no  doubt 
that  they  would  very  quickly  learn  to  read,  write,  and 
cipher,  as  the  advertisements  of  elementary  schools  express 
it — read  without  understanding  too  much,  write  without 
knowing  what,  and  calculate  without  ever  being  able  to 
apply  their  arithmetic.  Anyhow,  however,  even  this  little 
knowledge  will  wean  them  from  the  pernicious  influence 
of  the  marabouts. 

After  sunset  the  heat  became  more  bearable,   and   the 

time  for  our  evening 
bath  arrived.  At  the 
northern  extremity  of 
our  island  were  a  num- 
ber of  pools  amongst 
the  rocks,  varying  in 
depth  according  to  the 
tide.  Here  and  there 
were  regular  cascades, 
and  we  could  stand  on 
the  sand  bottom  and 
get  a  natural  shower-bath.  Some  of  us  became  perfectly 
enamoured  of  this  style  of  bathing.     Opinions   differ  in 


OUR   COOLIES   AT   THEIR    TOILETTE. 


STAY   AT   SAY  339 

Africa  as  to  the  healthiness  of  it,  however.  For  my  part, 
I  know  that  bathing  in  the  tepid  water,  warmed  as  it  was 
by  the  heat  of  the  sun,  was  very  refreshing,  and  of  course  the 
cleaner  we  kept  ourselves  the  better  the  pores  of  our  skin 
acted.  It  may  be  that  stopping  long  in  the  water  every  day 
was  weakening,  and  some  fevers  may  have  been  caused  by 
it  when  it  happened  to  be  colder  than  usual.  There  are 
two  opinions  on  this  as  on  every  subject,  but  where  is  the 
good  of  discussing  them  ? — the  best  plan  is  to  do  what  you 
like  yourself. 

In  the  river  near  Fort  Archinard  there  were  lots  of 
common  fish,  which  used  to  shoot  down  the  cascades  of  an 
evening  for  the  sake  of  the  greater  freshness  and  coolness 
of  the  water  below.  These  fish  would  actually  strike  us 
now  and  then  on  the  shoulders,  making  us  start  by  the 
suddenness  of  the  unexpected  blows.  It  was  still  more 
unpleasant  to  know  that  other  denizens  of  the  river,  the 
terrible  crocodiles,  though  further  off,  were  still  there. 

Oh,  what  numbers  of  the  horrible  great  grey  creatures 
we  used  to  see  floating  down  with  the  stream  or  lying  about 
the  banks !  Some  of  them  had  taken  up  their  abode  quite 
near  to  us,  along  the  side  of  our  island,  just  where  we  used 
to  do  our  fishing  with  the  gun-cotton,  but  their  being  close 
to  us  did  not  prevent  either  the  coolies,  or  for  the  matter  of 
that  the  whites,  from  going  into  the  river. 

With  sunset  came  the  hour  of  supper  or  dinner,  and  what 
grand  sky  effects  we  used  to  see  whilst  we  were  at  that 
meal  in  these  winter  quarters  of  ours !  Our  walls  were 
flecked  with  every  colour  of  the  rainbow,  whilst  in  the  east, 
above  the  sombre  wooded  banks,  would  often  rise  red  masses 
of  curious-looking  clouds,  precursors  of  the  approaching 
tornado.  Sometimes  the  sun  had  not  quite  set  before  the 
lightning  would  begin  to  flash,  and  the  thunder  to  roll 
incessantly,  sounding  like  the  roar  of  artillery  in  battle. 


340 


THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 


As  we  sat  at  table  we  would  discuss  the  situation  :  what 
would  the  tornado  do  this  time  ?  Would  our  huts  be  able  to 
bear  up  against  it  ?  Would  much  water  come  in  ?  "  Make 
haste,  Fili,  bring   us    that   nougat   before  it    rains ! "   said 


A   WOMAN    OF    SAY. 


Bluzet.  And  were  the  barges  securely  moored?  Had  the 
sentry  got  his  cloak  ?  and  so  on. 

Father  Hacquart  became  as  time  went  on,  quite  an 
expert  meteorologist,  and  only  once  or  twice  made  a  mis- 
take in  his  predictions  about  the  weather. 

The  terrible  arch  of  clouds  peculiar  to  a  tornado,  mean- 
while, goes  up  and  up  till  it  nearly  reaches  the  zenith.  Be- 
hind it  in  the  east  is  a  great  glow  of  light,  resembling  the 


STAY   AT    SAY  341 

reflection  of  a  conflagration  in  the  big  plate-glass  windows 
of  some  shop  on  the  Paris  boulevards  seen  through  the  rain. 

We  all  disperse  now,  going  to  our  huts  to  light  our  candles, 
whilst  the  rain  pours  down  in  torrents,  and  the  leaves  are 
torn  from  the  trees  and  whirled  round  and  round.  The 
branches  are  creaking,  the  roofs  are  bending  beneath  the  fury 
of  the  storm,  the  rain  turns  to  hail,  and  through  the  great 
sabbat  of  the  elements,  the  voices  of  the  sentries  are  heard 
calling  out  from  beneath  the  deluge  pouring  down  upon 
them,  "  Is  all  well  ?  "  and  the  reply  comes  soon,  "All  is  well." 

Then  when  the  worst  seems  to  be  over,  we  go  to  examine 
how  much  damage  is  done,  and  Father  Hacquart  comes 
out  to  have  one  more  look  at  the  weather.  Presently  we 
hear  some  one  growling  out  that  the  rain  has  come  through 
his  roof  like  a  thief  in  the  night,  or  that  it  is  pouring  over 
his  threshold.  We  all  laugh  together,  for  we  are  all  in  the 
same  boat. 

Fortunately  the  damage  done  is  seldom  greater  than  this, 
for  the  huts  stand  the  strain  well.  We  only  once  had  to 
deplore  a  real  misfortune,  and  that  not  a  very  serious  one, 
only  it  made  us  fear  that  a  worse  might  happen. 

A  pair  of  white  and  black  storks  had  nested  in  the 
big  tamarind  tree  which  formed  the  eastern  corner  of  the 
tata  looking  down-stream,  and  we  considered  this  a  good 
omen  for  us,  a  talisman  ensuring  to  us  the  protection  of 
Allah  during  our  stay  in  the  island.  Storks,  as  is  well 
known,  are  very  peculiar  birds,  and  acts  of  extraordinary 
intelligence  are  attributed  to  them,  which  would  appear  to 
prove  that  their  lives  are  regulated  by  certain  social  laws. 
It  was  an  amusement  to  us  to  watch  them  of  an  evening,  and 
to  note  all  the  details  of  their  family  life  ;  the  first  finding  of 
a  home,  for  instance,  their  courtship,  their  talks  in  the  gloam- 
ing ;  when  perched  together  on  one  branch  they  would 
seem  to  be  looking  at  us,  balancing  themselves  with  their 


342 


THE    EXPLORATION    OF    THE    NIGER 


heavy  heads  on  one  side,  with  the  air  of  old  men  considering 
some  new  invention,  or  savants  discussing  abstract  verities. 
Our  pair  of  storks,  in  spite  of  their  calm  and  sedate  ap- 
pearance, must  really  have  been  only  just  beginning  their 
joint  menage^  and  can  have  had  no  real  experience  of  life. 


A   NATIVE   WOMAN    WITH   GOITRE. 


They  evidently  knew  how  to  fish  by  instinct ;  but  a  sad 
catastrophe  befell  their  home,  which  they  had  built  on  a  big 
dead  branch,  for  in  a  specially  violent  tornado  the  bough 
was  torn  off,  nest  and  all,  and  flung  upon  the  quick-firing 
gun  pointing  up-stream,  knocking  over  Ibrahim  Bubakar, 
who  was  on  sentry  duty,  but  who  fortunately  escaped  with  a 
fright  and  a  few  bruises  on  the  les^s.     Alas !  however,  three 


STAY   AT   SAY  343 

young  storks,  the  children  of  the  pair,  were  flung  to  the 
ground  and  killed.  We  picked  them  up  dead  the  day  after 
the  tornado,  and  stufifed  them. 

Our  men  were  in  great  despair.  The  charm  which  would 
have  brought  luck  to  our  camp  was  broken  ;  but  the  parent 
birds,  in  spite  of  the  loss  of  their  little  ones,  evidently  deter- 
mined to  act  as  our  talisman  to  the  end  of  our  stay,  for  they 
continued  to  fly  round  and  round  our  tamarind,  and  to  talk 
together  of  an  evening,  though  sadly.  It  was  not  until  a 
few  days  before  we  left  that  they  flew  away  towards  the 
north.  Thanks  to  them,  perhaps,  we  had  a  run  of  good 
luck  to  the  last. 

The  tornado  freshened  the  atmosphere  very  considerably, 
and  the  sudden  change  could  only  be  fully  realized  by  con- 
sulting the  thermometer.  In  five  minutes  the  glass  would 
sometimes  fall  from  forty-five  to  thirty  degrees.  A  corre- 
sponding and  sympathetic  change  would  take  place  in  the 
state  of  our  nerves ;  we  could  sleep  a  little  if  only  the 
mosquitoes  would  let  us,  but,  alas !  their  droning  never 
ceased.  Oh,  that  horrible  music,  which  went  on  for  ever 
without  mercy,  causing  us  more  anguish  even  than  the  bites, 
and  against  which  no  curtain  could  protect. 

The  frogs,  too,  added  to  the  droning  of  the  mosquitoes 
what  we  may  call  their  peculiar  Plain  Songs  or  Gregorian 
.chants.  They  were  very  tame,  showing  no  fear  of  us,  but 
took  up  their  abode  here,  there,  and  everywhere  :  out  in  the 
open  air,  or  in  the  huts,  in  our  books,  under  our  tins,  and  in 
our  water-vessels,  and  their  ceaseless  singing  in  full  solemn 
tones,  echoed  that  of  the  distant  choirs  of  their  wilder 
brethren  chattering  together  amongst  the  grass  by  the 
river-side.  Although  not  composed  on  the  spot,  I  cannot 
refrain  from  quoting  the  following  sonnet,  produced  by  a 
member  of  our  expedition,  and  which  forms  a  kind  of 
sequel  to  the  others  I  have  transcribed  above — . 


344  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

LOVE-SONG. 

When  evening  falls  upon  the  land  asleep, 
When  mute  the  singers  of  the  tropic  plain, 
When  winds  die  down,  and  every  bird's  refrain 
Or  insect's  cry  is  hush'd  in  silence  deep  ; 
Then  from  the  lotus  beds  triumphant  leap 
Frantic  crescendoes  of  a  rhythmic  strain. 
Wild  cadences  mount  up,  to  sink  again 
Lamenting,  as  when  mourners  wail  and  weep  ; — 
Comes  to  the  traveller  upon  the  stream, 
A  Plain-Song  Litany  of  high  despair  ; 
The  notes  Gregorian  fit  into  his  dream 
Of  home  and  fatherland,  remotely  fair  ; — 
Whilst  from  the  gleaming  mud  in  Niger's  course 
Rises  an  amorous  croak,  now  sweet,  now  hoarse. 


In  every  country  in  the  world  fine  weather  comes  after 
rain,  and  the  tornado  was  succeeded  on  the  Niger  by  a 
star-light  night  of  a  clearness  and  limpidity  such  as  is  never 
seen  anywhere  out  of  the  tropics.  The  soft  murmur  of  the 
Niger  was  borne  to  us  upon  the  gentle  night  breeze,  remind- 
ing us  of  the  Fulah  proverb — 

"  Ulululu  ko  tiaygueul,  so  mayo  heivi^  deguietl'  which 
may  be  translated — 

"  Ulululu  cries  the  brook,  the  big  river  is  silent." 

A  true  description  indeed  of  what  really  often  seemed 
to  happen  during  our  long  imprisonment  on  our  island,  for 
we  could  hear  the  gurgling  of  the  rapid  further  down- 
stream, but  the  voice  of  the  river  was  hushed. 

Our  nights  passed  quietly  enough,  watch  being  always 
kept  by  one  white  man,  one  black  subordinate  officer,  and 
two  coolies.  From  Timbuktu  to  Lokodja,  that  is  to  say, 
from  January  21  to  October  21,  we  five  Europeans  had 
taken  the  night-watch  in  turn.  It  must  be  admitted  that 
at  Fort  Archinard  it  was  sometimes  rather  difficult  to  remain 
awake,  and  to  keep  ourselves  from  yielding  to  our  exhaust- 
ing fatigue.    We  had  to  resort  to  various  manoeuvres,  such 


STAY   AT   SAY  345 

as  pinching  ourselves,  bathing  our  feet,  wrists,  or  head, 
and  walking  rapidly  up  and  down.  Sometimes,  as  one  or 
another  of  us  sat  in  Father  Hacquart's  folding-chair, 
looking  out  upon  the  moon-lit  scene,  there  was  something 
very  charming  about  the  silence  and  repose,  and  as  we  have 
already  given  several  quotations  of  poetical  effusions,  I 
think  I  must  add  just  one  more  on  the  night-watch,  also 
composed  by  one  of  our  party. 

NIGHT-WATCH. 

I  loll  and  smoke,  with  mind  a-blank  ;— we  sail 

Together,  all  ye  stars  of  motion  slow  ! 

Moon  !  a  poor  trophy  you  may  hang  me  now 

Upon  one  horn — Moon  !  like  a  fairy's  nail 

Curved,  tilted,  thin  and  delicately  pale  ! 

You,  old  Orion,  may  not  lift  your  brow 

To  where  on  high  the  mystic  symbols  glow 

Of  Cross  and  Angel's  Car  that  next  I  hail  ; 

Then  Venus — Beauty  bathed  in  lambent  stream 

Of  astral  milk,  outpourd  long  ages  past 

From  time-worn  breasts  ! — to  these,  in  the  first  gleam 

Of  morning  freshness,  from  the  dreary  waste. 

Whilst  as  our  bark  adown  the  dim  stream  floats, 

With  rower's  boat-song  blends  the  frog's  last  notes. 

Thus  the  days  went  on  monotonously,  so  monotonously 
that  we  were  often  quite  feverish  with  ennui  I  At  the 
beginning,  the  building  of  the  fort  and  settling  down  gave 
us  a  little  variety,  but  of  course  that  did  not  last. 

Winter  in  the  Sudan  would  really  not  be  much  worse 
than  anywhere  else  if  plenty  of  occupation  and  movement 
could  be  secured,  with  occasional  change  of  air  ;  but  it 
becomes  simply  deadly  dull  when  one  is  limited  to  a  small 
space,  compelled  to  inhale  the  same  miasmic  exhalations, 
and  absorb  the  same  kind  of  microbes  every  day  and  every 
night. 

Yet  this  was  exactly  our  position.  We  were  a  small 
party  in  the  midst  of  a  hostile  population.     Even  if  we  had 


346 


THE   EXPLORATION    OF    THE    NIGER 


ventured  to  leave  our  camp  we  should  have  had  to  divide, 
one-half  of  us  remaining  on  guard;  but  neither  division  would 
have  been  strong  enough  in  any  emergency,  for  those  who 
went  could  not  spare  any  coolies  as  scouts,  whilst  those  who 
remained  would  have  no  sentries.     When  we  went  to  fetch 


A   TOWER  OF   FORT    ARCH  INARD. 


wood,  we  did  not  go  out  of  sight  of  our  fort,  which  was  left 
to  the  care  of  the  halt  and  lame,  so  to  speak :  the  interpreters 
and  the  scullions,  and  I  was  quite  uneasy  about  them  when 
I  saw  the  men  leave  of  a  morning. 

Our  one  safe  road,  the  river,  was  blocked  above  and 
below  the  camp,  for  we  had  a  rapid  up-stream  and  a  rapid 
down-stream,  so  that  even  quite  small  canoes  could  not  pass. 


STAY  AT   SAY  347 

There  has  been  much  talk  of  winter  in  the  Arctic 
regions,  and  of  course  such  a  winter  is  always  very  severe, 
but  the  one  we  passed  at  Say  was  simply  miserable.  I  really 
do  think  that  the  fact  of  all  five  of  us  Europeans  having 
survived  it,  is  a  proof  that  we  were  endowed  with  a  great 
amount  of  energy  and  vitality. 

The  temperature  had  much  to  do  with  our  sufferings. 
It  increased  steadily  until  June,  and  then  remained  pretty 
stationary.  The  thermometer,  which  was  set  up  beneath  a 
little  wooden  shelter  daily,  reached  extraordinary  maxima. 
For  one  whole  month  the  maximum  fluctuated  between 
forty  and  fifty  degrees  Centigrade,  the  atmosphere  becoming 
heavier  and  more  exhausting  as  the  day  wore  on  until 
sunset.  During  the  night  the  maximum  was  generally  a 
little  over  thirty  degrees,  and  you  must  remember  that  I 
am  speaking  of  the  winter,  when  the  air  was  pretty  well 
saturated  with  moisture. 

I  have  read  in  books  of  travel  of  countries  where,  to  avoid 
succumbing  from  the  heat,  Europeans  live  in  holes  dug  in 
the  earth,  and  make  negroes  pour  more  or  less  fresh  water 
on  their  heads  from  calabashes  to  keep  them  cool.  We 
never  got  as  far  as  that,  but  I  do  think  that  Say,  at  least  in 
June  and  July,  can  compete  in  intensity  of  heat  with  any 
other  place  in  the  world. 

In  such  an  oven  we  quite  lost  our  appetites  ! 

Now  ensued  a  time  of  terrible  ennui.  All  our  energy, 
all  our  gaiety,  all  our  philosophy  melted  away  before  the 
awful  prosplfct  of  living  in  this  remote  and  hostile  corner 
of  the  earth  for  five  whole  months;  five  months  during 
which  we  knew  we  could  not  stir  from  the  island ;  five 
months  in  which  we  must  endure  all  the  storms  of  heaven 
in  our  frail  huts,  and  be  exposed  to  the  ceaseless  plots 
against  us  of  Amadu.  The  dreary,  monotonous  days  in 
which    nothing   happened,. did  not   even    supply   us   with 


348  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE    NIGER 

topics  of  conversation,  so  we  talked  more  and  more  of 
France,  which  of  course  only  intensified  our  home-sickness. 
Taburet,  who  had  a  wonderful  memory  for  dates,  seemed  to 
find  every  day  of  the  month  an  anniversary  of  some  event. 

It  became  a  more  serious  matter  when  owx  ennid  resulted 
in  constant  attacks  of  fever,  but  fortunately  these  attacks, 
thanks  to  the  daily  dose  of  quinine,  were  never  very  serious, 
only  their  recurrence  was  weakening,  the  more  so  that  they 
were  accompanied  by  what  we  called  the  Sudanite  fever, 
a  kind  of  moral  affection  peculiar  to  African  soil. 

This  Sudanite  affection  betrayed  itself  by  different 
eccentricities  in  different  people.  It  really  is  the  effect 
of  the  great  heat  of  the  sun  upon  anaemic  subjects,  or  upon 
those  whose  brains  are  not  very  strong.  Sometimes,  at 
about  four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  we  used  all  of  a  sudden  to 
hear  a  series  of  detonations  inside  the  enceinte.  "Holloa!" 
we  would  exclaim,  "someone  has  got  an  attack  of  Sudanite 
fever,  and  is  working  it  off  by  firing  at  bottles  floating  on 
the  river."  Or  another  of  the  party  would  seal  himself  up 
hermetically  in  his  hut,  blocking  every  hole  or  crack  through 
which  a  ray  of  sunlight  could  penetrate.  The  whole  of  the 
interior  would  be  hung  with  blue  stuff,  under  the  pretence 
that  red  or  white  light  would  give  fever.  Another  case  of 
Sudanite  ! 

We  could  cite  many  more  examples  of  the  disease 
during  our  stay  at  Fort  Archinard. 

However  different  may  be  most  of  its  symptoms,  one 
is  always  the  same — a  patient  afflicted  with  it  contradicts 
everybody  and  shows  an  absolutely  intolerant  spirit. 

Truth  to  tell,  I  must  add,  in  common  fairness,  that  we 
were  all  more  or  less  affected  by  it.  We  might  have 
managed  to  pull  along  peaceably  in  an  ordinary  station 
with  occupations  which  separated  us  from  each  other 
sometimes,  but  in  this  island,  this  cage,  for  it  was  little 


350  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

more,  we  were  always  rubbing  shoulders,  so  to  speak,  and 
constant  friction  was  inevitable.  In  fact,  we  ran  our  angles 
into  our  neighbours  instead  of  rubbing  those  angles  down. 
We  were  regularly  prostrated  with  our  inactive,  almost  idle 
life,  and  the  true  characters  of  each  one  came  out  without 
disguise. 

At  table  every  discussion  led  to  a  kind  of  squabble. 
Each  of  us  stuck  to  his  own  opinion,  even  when  the  most 
astounding  paradoxes  had  been  enunciated.  Sometimes, 
after  a  regular  row,  we  all  sat  perfectly  mute  glaring  at  each 
other,  and  wondering  what  was  to  happen  next. 

At  night,  or  in  the  hour  of  the  siesta,  I  used  to  get  out 
my  flute — another  form  of  the  Sudanite  fever — and  play 
melodies  from  the  Or  du  Rhin  or  Tristan  et  Yseult^  but 
even  music  failed  to  calm  the  disputants.  The  tension  was 
too  great,  and  I  was  afraid  that,  even  at  this  late  period  of 
our  expedition,  things  would  go  wrong  in  consequence. 

All  of  a  sudden  a  happy  idea  occurred  to  me,  a  regular 
inspiration  from  Heaven,  which  every  one  fell  in  with  at 
once. 

This  idea  was  simply  that  we  should  all  work,  and  the 
result  was  the  immediate  restoration  of  order. 

It  was  a  simple  task  enough  that  we  now  set  ourselves 
to  do,  just  to  make  vocabularies  of  the  various  more  or  less 
barbarous  idioms  in  use  in  the  Niger  districts.  There  were 
plenty  to  choose  from,  for  there  is  more  confusion  of  tongues, 
such  as  is  described  in  the  Bible,  in  these  parts  than 
anywhere  else.  There  is  a  perfectly  inexhaustible  supply 
of  peculiar  phrases. 

For  instance,  between  Abo,  in  the  highest  part  of  the 
delta  of  the  Niger,  and  the  sea,  as  an  officer  of  the  Royal 
Niger  Company  told  me,  there  are  no  less  than  seven 
dialects  spoken,  none  of  which  have  the  very  slightest 
affinity  with  each  other.     It  would  appear  that  one  wave 


STAY  AT   SAY  351 

of  migration  has  succeeded  another,  as  the  breakers  do  on 
the  beach,  the  natives  composing  the  different  parties  of 
emigrants  dying  out,  or  leaving  only  a  few  survivors  stranded 
like  islets  in  a  flood  in  the  tropical  forests,  retaining  their 
original  customs  and  dialects,  and  continuing  to  offer 
sacrifices  in  the  old  way,  uninfluenced  by  the  other  native 
populations. 

It  has  been  different  further  inland,  for  the  last  emigrants 
have  been  absorbed  by  the  earlier  settlers,  rather  than 
driven  back,  but  at  the  same  time  their  characteristics  have 
not  been  merged  in  those  of  other  tribes,  so  that  we  still 
find  side  by  side  totally  different  customs,  and  people 
speaking  different  dialects  quite  unlike  each  other,  such  as 
the  Tuareg,  Fulah,  Songhay,  Bambara,  Bozo,  Mossi,  etc., 
almost  equally  distributed  over  extensive  districts. 

So  we  all  set  to  work.  Father  Hacquart  and  I  buckled 
to  at  the  Tuareg  language.  Pullo  Khalifa  turned  out  to  be 
an  indifferent  teacher,  though  he  was  full  of  good-will. 
He  was  never  at  a  loss  for  the  signification  of  a  word,  but 
his  renderings  were  mostly  merely  approximate.  I  have 
already  dwelt  upon  the  peculiarities  of  the  Tuareg  language 
in  a  previous  chapter,  so  I  will  only  add  here  that  we  had 
two  other  instructors  in  it,  another  Fulah,  a  Mahommedan, 
who  shilly-shallied  a  good  deal  in  his  interpretations,  and 
a  female  blacksmith  of  Bokar  Wandieidiu,  now  attached 
to  the  service  of  Ibrahim  Galadio,  who  lent  her  to  us.  The 
last-named  was  certainly  the  most  interesting  of  our 
linguistic  professors.  She  had  a  tremendous  voice,  and  was 
as  ugly  as  sin,  but  she  gave  herself  many  airs  and  graces. 
With  the  aid  of  these  three  and  a  few  others  we  drew  up 
quite  an  imposing  comparative  vocabulary  of  the  Tuareg 
language. 

Father  Hacquart  also  devoted  some  time  to  the  study  of 
Songhay,  which  is  spoken  between  Say  and  Timbuktu, 


352  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

and  also  in  other  districts  beyond  those  towns  in  the 
east  and  west,  for  we  meet  with  it  again  at  Jenne  and  at 
Aghades.  Near  Say,  they  call  the  Songhay  language  - 
djermanke.  Pretty  well  every  one  undertook  to  teach  us 
Songhay  ;  it  was  a  simple  dialect  enough,  spoken  through 
the  nose,  and  it  was  likely  to  be  very  useful  to  us.  The 
Peres  blancs  of  Timbuktu  give  especial  attention  to  its 
study. 

Tierno  Abdulaye  Dem,  a  few  coolies,  old  Suleyman, 
who  had  deserted  Amadu,  tired  of  wandering  about  after 
him,  and  had  rejoined  us  to  go  back  to  his  beloved  Foota, 
used  to  assemble  every  day  in  Baudry's  hut,  which  was 
transformed  into  a  Fulah  academy. 

Most  unexpected  results  ensued  from  these  meetings. 
The  Fulah  language  is  a  very  charming  one,  and  has 
been  carefully  studied  by  General  Faidherbe  and  M.  de 
Giraudon,  but  there  is  still  a  good  deal  to  be  learnt  about 
it.  It  is  very  difficult  to  connect  it  with  any  other.  It 
is  the  one  language  necessary  for  travelling  or  for  trading 
between  Saint  Louis  and  Lake  Tchad.  There  have  been 
many  theories  on  the  subject  of  the  Fulah  migration,  and 
a  great  deal  of  nonsense  has  been  talked  about  it.  Baudry, 
who  studied  the  language  with  the  greatest  zeal,  discovered 
some  extraordinary  grammatical  rules  in  it  and  strange 
idioms,  enough  to  frighten  M.  Brid'oison  himself  No  one 
could  now  utter  two  or  three  words  at  table  without  Baudry 
declaring  how  they  could  be  translated  into  one  Fulah 
expression.  The  following  example  will  give  an  idea  of 
how  much  could  be  expressed  in  a  Fulah  word.  I  must 
add,  however,  that  Baudry  and  Tierno  Abdulaye  agree 
in  saying  it  is  very  seldom  used. 

The  word  I  allude  to  is  Nannantundiritde^  which  signifies 
to  pretend  to  go  and  ask  mutually  and  reciprocally  for 
news  of  each  other. 


STAY  AT   SAY  353 

Tierno  Abdulaye,  who  was  a  Toucouleur  from  the 
Senegal  districts,  gave  out  that  he  could  speak  his  maternal 
language  or  Fulah  pretty  perfectly.  When,  however, 
Baudry  set  to  work  to  explain  to  him  the  formation  of 
Fulah  words  which  he  claimed  to  have  discovered,  Tierno 
realized  that  after  air  he  did  not  know  much  about  it,  so 
he  tried  to  acquire  grammatical  Fulah,  with  the  result  that 
many  of  his  fellow-countrymen  could  not  understand  what 
he  said.  They  were  completely  confused  by  all  these  new 
rules,  but  Baudry  was  delighted  at  having  won  a  disciple. 

The  people  of  Massina,  or  the  districts  near  the  great 
bend  of  the  Niger,  speak  very  quietly  and  in  a  low  voice, 
as  if  they  realized  the  beauty  of  their  language,  and  do 
not  trouble  themselves  very  much  about  strict  grammatical 
accuracy.  The  Fulah  tongue,  in  fact,  admits  of  an  im- 
mense number  of  shades  of  expression,  and  though  there 
is  not  perhaps  exactly  anything  that  can  be  called  Fulah 
literature,  except  for  a  few  songs  which  can  only  be 
obtained  from  the  griots  with  the  greatest  difficulty,  the 
language  simply  teems  with  proverbs.  Here  are  a  few 
examples,  but  of  course,  like  all  such  sayings,  they  lose 
terribly  in  translation  : — 

"When  you  cannot  suck  the  breasts  of  your  mother, 
you  must  suck  those  of  your  grandmother." 

"  When  a  man  has  eaten  his  hatchet  and  his  axe,  he  is 
not  likely  to  sputter  much  over  broiled  pea-nuts." 

"  A  stick  may  rot  in  the  water,  but  that  does  not  make 
it  a  crocodile." 

"  There  is  the  skin  of  a  sheep  and  the  skin  of  a  cow, 
but  there  is  always  a  skin." 

Thanks  to  Osman,  Bluzet  had  unearthed  a  cobbler  or 
garanke,  a  native  of  Mossi.  He  was  a  very  worthy  fellow, 
but,  it  seems  to  me,  most  of  his  fellow-countrymen  are 
equally  estimable.    The  Mossi,  at  least  those  we  knew,  were 

A    A 


354  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

all  very  easily  intimidated,  but  honest  and  trustworthy.  At 
first  Bluzet  had  a  good  deal  of  trouble  to  get  any  informa- 
tion out  of  this  Mossi,  but  when  he  gained  a  little  confidence 
he  got  on  apace,  and  used  to  indulge  on  occasion  in  long 
monologues,  as  when  he  treated  us  to  the  following  little 
tale,  which  he  related  to  us  all  in  Mossi  in  Bluzet's 
hut. 

"  One  day,  a  woman  going  along  the  road  to  Say,  taking 
some  milk  to  market,  sat  down  at  the  foot  of  a  tree  and 
fell  asleep. 

"  Presently  three  young  men  came  up,  and  when  they 
saw  the  woman  one  of  them  said  to  the  others — 

" '  Follow  me,  and  imitate  everything  I  do.' 

"  They  approached  her  cautiously,  making  a  detour 
round  the  brushwood.  *  Hu  !  hu  ! '  cried  the  leader,  when 
he  got  close  to  the  sleeper,  and  the  others  shouted  after 
him,  'Hu!  hu  ! ' 

"  The  woman  started  up  terrified,  and  ran  away,  leaving 
the  calabash  of  milk  on  the  ground. 

"  Then  the  eldest  of  the  three  young  men  said,  '  This 
milk  is  mine  because  I  am  the  eldest.'  '  No,'  said  the 
second,  *  it  is  mine  because  I  thought  of  crying,  Hu  !  hu  ! ' 
'  No,  no,'  cried  the  third,  '  I  mean  to  drink  it,  for  I  am 
armed  with  a  spear,  and  you  have  only  sticks.' 

"  Just  then  a  marabout  passed  by.  '  Let  him  be  the 
judge ! '  said  the  disputants,  and  they  put  their  case  before 
him. 

" '  I  know  of  nothing  in  the  Koran  which  applies  to  your 
difficulty,'  said  the  holy  man  ;  '  but  show  me  the  milk.' 
He  took  the  milk,  he  looked  at  it,  he  drank  it.  *This  is 
really  good  milk,'  he  added,  'but  there  is  nothing  about 
your  case  in  the  Koran  that  I  know  of.' " 

With  two  other  vocabularies  of  Gurma  and  Bozo  ex- 
pressions, less  complete  than  those  of  the  Songhay  and 


STAY  AT   SAY 


355 


Fulah  languages,  we  made  up  a  total  of  more  than  ten 
thousand  new  words,  to  which  we  added  many  very 
interesting  grammatical  remarks. 

This  absorbing  occupation,  which  fortunately  became 
a  positive  monomania  with  some  of  us,  contributed  more 
than  anything  to  our  being  able  to  survive  the  last  month 
of  our  stay  at  Fort  Archinard. 


OUR   QUICK-FIRING  GUN. 


NATIVES   OF  SAY. 


CHAPTER  VIII 


MISTAKES  AND   FALSE   NEWS 


We  must  now  return  to  our  arrival  at  Say.     Although 

the  days  there  were  most  of  them  monotonous  enough, 

they  brought  their  little  ups  and  downs,  and  we  received 

news  now  and  then,  of  which,  under  the  circumstances,  we 

naturally    sometimes    exaggerated     the    importance.      It 

would  be  wearisome  for  me  as  well  as  for  the  reader  to 

give  an  account  of  what  happened  every  day  during  our 

long  winter  at  Fort  Archinard.     My  notes  were  written 

under   various    difficulties    and    in    very   varying   moods, 

reflecting  alike  my  exaggerated  low  spirits  when  things 

went   wrong,  and   my  excess   of  delight   when    anything 

occurred  to  cheer  me.     Consecutive  pages  of  my  journal 

often  contradicted  each  other,  and  any  one  reading  them 

would  imagine  they  were  written  by  two  different  persons  ; 

356 


MISTAKES  AND   FALSE   NEWS  357 

but  this  is  always  the  way  with  travellers,  and  even  Barth 
himself  was  not  exempt  from  such  fluctuations  of  mood. 

My  journal  in  extenso  might  serve  as  an  illustration 
of  the  psychology  of  the  lie  as  illustrated  amongst  the 
negroes  and  Mussulmans,  but  no  other  useful  purpose,  so 
I  shall  greatly  condense  it.  The  reader  will  still,  I  hope, 
get  a  very  good  idea  of  all  we  went  through.  If  what  I 
quote  is  rather  incoherent,  excuses  must  be  made  for  me, 
for  the  news  we  got  was  often  incoherent  enough,  and 
our  life  at  the  Fort  was  rather  a  puzzle  too  sometimes, 
with  our  alternations  of  hope  and  anxiety. 

Friday,  April  10. — We  are  getting  on  with  our  fort ; 
our  abattis  are  finished  and  ready  for  any  attack.  (This 
was  written  the  day  after  our  arrival,  whilst  our  work  was 
still  in  full  swing.) 

We  put  the  Aube  in  dry  dock  to-day,  and  it  took  the 
united  efforts  of  us  all  to  haul  her  into  position  :  non- 
commissioned officers,  interpreters,  servants,  all  had  to 
work,  and  even  we  white  men  lent  a  hand.  During  the 
operation  of  turning  her  on  to  her  side,  the  poor  Aiibe 
might  have  tumbled  to  pieces,  for  all  her  planks  were 
loose.  But  she  held  together  yet  once  more,  and,  as  you 
will  see,  we  did  not  have  to  abandon  her  until  the  very 
end  of  our  voyage. 

A  new  recruit  joined  us  to-day,  my  journal  goes  on,  so 
with  Suleyman  Futanke  we  have  two  extra  hands  now. 
This  was  how  he  came  to  join  us.  During  the  siesta  hour 
we  heard  a  man  shouting  from  the  other  side  of  the  river, 
"Agony!  agony!"  and  looking  out  we  saw  some  one  waving 
a  white  cloth.  We  sent  the  Dantec  to  fetch  him,  and  when 
he  arrived  he  kept  shouting  "  Agony !  agony  !  "  in  a  joyful 
voice.  He  showed  us  his  cap  of  European  make,  evidently 
expecting  us  to  understand  what  he  meant,  but  that  did  not 
explain  the  use  of  the  word  "  agony  "  so  often. 


358  THE   EXPLORATION   OF  THE   NIGER 

It  was  Tedian  Diarra,  a  big  Bambarra,  who  had  acted  as 
guide  to  General  Dodds  in  the  Dahomey  campaign,  who 
solved  the  mystery  at  last,  and  told  us  that  the  man  had 
been  a  porter  at  Say  to  the  Decoeur  expedition.  He  had  been 
taken  ill  with  an  attack  of  some  discharge  from  the  joints, 
and  had  been  left  under  the  care  of  the  chief  of  the  village 
to  be  handed  over  to  the  first  Frenchman  who  should 
happen  to  pass.  The  poor  fellow,  whose  name  was  Atchino, 
— at  least  that  is  what  we  always  called  him, — was  trying 
to  explain  to  us  that  he  came  from  the  village  of  Agony  on 
the  Weme.  He  had  feared  he  should  never  see  his  native 
village  again,  with  its  bananas  and  oil  palms  ;  but  as  soon 
as  he  heard  of  our  arrival  at  Say,  he  came  to  take  refuge 
with  us.  Later  I  indemnified  the  man  who  had  taken  care 
of  him  for  the  expense  he  had  been  put  to.  We  made 
this  Atchino  our  gardener,  and  he  turned  out  a  very  useful 
fellow,  a  decided  acquisition  to  our  small  staff. 

Monday^  April  13. — We  finished  the  repairs  of  the 
Aiibe.  She  still  let  the  water  in  like  a  strainer,  but,  as  we 
always  said,  we  were  used  to  that.  This  expression,  "  used 
to  it,"  was  perpetually  employed  by  us  all,  and  it  enabled 
us  to  bear  with  philosophy  all  our  troubles.  It  is,  in  fact, 
the  expression  which  gilds  the  bitterest  pills  to  be  swallowed 
on  an  exploring  expedition,  and  no  one  need  dream  of 
starting  on  such  a  trip  as  ours  if  they  cannot  adopt  what 
we  may  call  the  philosophy  of  use  and  wont  on  every 
occasion.  Have  twenty-five  of  us  got  to  pack  into  a  boat 
about  the  size  of  my  hand  ?  What  does  it  matter  ?  go  on 
board,  you'll  get  used  to  it.  Have  we  got  to  find 
place  for  provisions  and  things  to  exchange  with  the 
natives  when  there  is  no  more  room?  Never  mind, 
ship  them  all,  we  shall  get  used  to  them  when  we  settle 
down.  Are  you  in  a  hostile  district  ?  Do  rumours  of  war, 
of  approaching  columns   of  thousands  and   thousands  of 


MISTAKES   AND    FALSE   NEWS  359 

natives  uniting  to  attack,  trouble  you  ?  Never  mind,  they 
will  turn  out  not  to  be  so  many  after  all ;  you  are  used 
to  these  rumours  now.  You  have  some  dreadful  rapids  in 
front  of  you  ;  you  have  got  to  pass  them  somehow.  There 
are  so  many,  you  can't  count  them.  Shall  we  draw  back  ? 
Shall  we  allow  them  to  check  our  onward  march  ?  No,  no, 
we  shall  get  used  to  them.  If  you  take  them  one  by  one, 
you  will  find  that  each  fresh  one  is  not  worse  than  the 
last,  and  that  the  hundredth  is  just  like  the  first.  You 
get  quite  used  to  them,  at  least  if  you  do  not  lose  your  boats 
and  your  life  too.  Which  would  be  the  final  getting  used 
to  things,  the  last  settling  down  ! 

A  diavandu  and  his  sister  one  day  presented  themselves 
at  the  camp.  These  diavandus,  who  are  the  guides  and 
confidants  of  the  people,  are  everywhere  met  with  amongst 
the  Fulahs.  I  don't  know  what  trade  the  sister  followed, 
but  this  diavandu  came  to  offer  us  his  services.  He  offered 
to  perform  all  the  usual  duties  of  his  office  on  our  behalf, 
and  was  ready  either  to  sell  us  milk,  or  to  act  as  a  spy  for 
us.  He  was  a  little  fellow,  of  puny,  sickly  appearance. 
We  made  him  drink  some  quinine  dissolved  in  water,  and 
our  people  told  him  that  the  bitter  beverage  contained  all 
the  talismans  of  the  infernal  regions.  Certainly  the  witches 
in  Macbeth  never  made  a  philtre  nastier  than  our  mixture. 

Our  diavandu  swore  by  the  Koran,  without  any  mental 
reservations,  that  he  would  be  faithful  to  us,  and  our  spells 
and  the  grisgris  we  had  given  him  would,  he  knew,  kill  him 
if  he  were  false  to  us,  or  betrayed  us  in  any  way.  Then 
we  sent  him  to  see  what  was  going  on  in  Amadu's  camp. 
I  do  not  know  what  eventually  became  of  him,  but  perhaps 
if  he  was  false  to  us  the  quinine  killed  him  by  auto- 
suggestion ;  perhaps  he  was  simply  suppressed  by  our 
enemies,  or  he  may  have  died  a  natural  death  ;  anyhow  we 
never  saw  either  him  or  his  sister  again. 


36o 


THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 


About  the  same  time  Pullo  Khalifa  appeared  at  Fort 
Archinard,  sent,  he  said,  by  Ibrahim  Galadio,  the  friend  of 
Monteil.  He  began  by  asking  us  what  we  wanted,  but  it 
really  was  he  who  wanted  to  get  something  out  of  us. 
We  gave  him  a  fine  red  Chechia  to  replace  his  own,  which 
was  very  dirty  and  greasy.     Later  we  gave  him  various 


-v^ 


other   presents,  but,  strange   to  say,   he   always   came   to 
visit  us  in  his  shabbiest  garments. 

Thursday^  Apj^il  23. — In  the  evening  a  sudden  noise  and 
confusion  arose  on  shore  at  Talibia,  and  in  our  camp  we 
heard  dogs  barking  and  women  shrieking,  whilst  the  glare 
of  torches  lit  up  the  surrounding  darkness.  Gradually  the 
tumult  died  away  in  the  distance.  Had  the  Toucouleurs 
been  on  the  way  to  surprise  us,  but  finding  us  prepared 
given  up  the  idea  for  the  time  being?  We  shouted  to 
Mahmadu  Charogne,   but   no  answer  came.     Mame   then 


MISTAKES   AND    FALSE    NEWS  361 

fired  a  fowling-piece  into  the  air,  but  nothing  came  of  it. 
All  was  silent  again,  but  we  passed  the  night  in  watching, 
for  we  knew  that  that  very  morning  a  man  wearing  a  white 
bubu  had  tried  to  tamper  with  our  coolies,  and  to  frighten 
away  the  native  traders.  He  had  shouted  from  the  left 
bank  that  Amadu  had  let  loose  the  Silibes  upon  us,  giving 
them  permission  to  make  war  on  us,  and  promising  them 
the  blessing  of  Allah  if  they  beat  us.  No  wonder  such  a 
coincidence  as  this  put  us  on  our  guard. 

The  next  morning  Mahmadu  explained  the  uproar  of 
the  preceding  evening.  It  had  been  a  question  not  of  an 
attack  on  us,  but  of  a  wedding  amongst  the  Koyraberos. 
He  told  us  a  marriage  is  never  consummated  until  the 
bridegroom  has  literally  torn  away  his  bride  from  her 
people,  and  the  rite  of  abduction,  for  a  regular  rite  it  is,  is 
a  very  exciting  ceremony.  When  the  suitor  comes  to  pay 
the  dowry  it  is  customary  for  him  to  give  his  fianc^e^  it  is 
considered  good  form  for  the  parents  to  shrug  their 
shoulders,  and  pretend  that  the  sum  offered  is  not  enough  ; 
millet  is  very  dear  just  now,  they  say,  and  they  cannot 
afford  wedding  festivities  worthy  of  their  daughter.  They 
must  keep  her  at  home  until  after  the  harvest,  and  so  on. 

The  young  man  goes  home  then  with  bowed  head 
and  a  general  air  of  depression.  When  he  gets  back  to  his 
own  village  he  calls  his  relations  and  friends  together, 
chooses  out  the  best  runners  and  those  who  can  shout 
the  loudest,  and  with  them  returns  to  seize  the  object 
of  his  choice.  He  finally  succeeds  in  taking  her  away 
in  the  midst  of  screams,  yells,  and  the  sham  curses  of  her 
relations,  who  are  really  full  of  joy  at  the  marriage.  The 
so-called  ravishers  of  the  dusky  bride  are  pursued  to  the 
last  tents  of  the  village,  and  the  ceremony  concludes,  as  do 
all  weddings  amongst  the  negroes,  with  a  feast  such  as 
that  of  Gamache  immortalized  in  Don  Quixote. 


362 


THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 


Soon  after  this  exciting  night  our  relations  with  Galadio 
began,  and  throughout  the  winter  all  our  hopes  were 
centred  on  this  man.  We  counted  on  him  to  the  very 
last  moment  as  our  best  friend,  and  he  really  was  more 
reasonable  than  most  of  those  with  whom  we  had  to  do 
during  that  dreary  time.  It  must  not,  however,  be  forgotten 
that  amongst  Mussulmans,  especially  those  of  the  Fulah 


race,  wisdom  means  profound  duplicity.  The  Fulahs 
actually  have  no  word  to  express  giving  advice,  only  one 
which  means  "give  bad  advice,"  or  "betray  by  counsel 
given."  The  idea  is  simple  enough,  and  is  the  first  which 
comes  into  their  heads.  So  that  if  by  any  chance  they 
want  for  once  to  translate  our  expression,  "  advise  you  for 
your  own  good,"  they  have  to  go  quite  out  of  the  way  to 
make  the  meaning  intelligible,  and  to  use  a  borrowed  word. 
This  is  really  a  reflection  of  the  Fulah  character. 


MISTAKES   AND    FALSE   NEWS  363 

Galadio  was  in  this  respect  a  thorough  Fulah,  although 
he  had  Bambarra  blood  in  his  veins.     His  mother  was  a 
Fulah,  of  the  Culibaly  tribe,  and  he  deceived  us  perpetually 
with  good  words  which  meant  nothing.     Still  I  must  do 
him  the  justice  to  add,  that  he  was  careful  to  save  us  from 
being  involved    in  open  war.     Perhaps   he  saw  how  fatal 
that   would   be   to   his   own   influence,   or    he   may   have 
dreaded  it  as  a  calamity  for  the  country  he  was  now  living 
in,  or  for  the  people  over  whom  he  had  been  set.     Anyhow 
he   managed    to    run   with   the    hare   and   hunt  with    the 
hounds  :  in  other  words,  to  keep  in  with  Amadu  and  us. 
He  always  gave  us  to  understand,  that  if  the  worst  came  to 
the  worst  he  would  at  least  preserve  a  strict  neutrality,  and 
as  a  reward  for  this  he  got  many  very  fine  presents.     He 
was  treated  almost  as  the  equal  of  Madidu  himself,  and  he 
too  received  from  us  a  velvet  saddle  embroidered  with  gold. 
His  messengers  were  provided  with  a  pass  by  us,  and  were 
received  with  all  due  honour,  for  it  was  not  until  quite  the 
end  of  our  stay  that  the  mystery  was  solved,  and  Galadio 
appeared  in  his  true  colours.     Of  his  own  free  will  he  had 
concluded  a  regular  treaty  with    me,  a   treaty   drawn  up 
quite  formally  in  Arabic  and  French,  and  which  he  signed 
with  his  own  name.     He  showed,  moreover,  a  very  eager 
wish  to  enter  into  relations  with  Bandiagara. 

April  30. — Khalifa  is  certainly  an  extraordinary  man. 
To-night  he  is  to  bring  to  us  in  a  canoe,  when  the  moon  is 
set  and  all  is  silence,  darkness,  and  mystery,  no  less  a  person 
than  the  brother  of  the  chief  of  Say.  We  watch  all  night 
for  the  signal  agreed  upon  of  the  approach  of  our  guests : 
the  lighting  of  a  candle  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  but 
nothing  is  to  be  seen.  Was  the  whole  thing  simply  a 
manoeuvre  on  the  part  of  Pullo  to  get  possession  of  a  box 
of  matches  and  a  candle  ?  Perhaps  so,  for  one  of  his  chief 
delights  when  he  is  in  any  of  our  tents, — and  he  is  very  often 


364  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE    NIGER 

there, — is  to  strike  matches  one  after  the  other.  He  is  not 
the  only  one  with  this  wasteful  habit,  Baudry  is  also 
afflicted  with  it,  but  fortunately  we  have  a  sufficient 
supply  even  for  such  vagaries  as  this,  which  really  are  very 
pardonable  in  the  Sudan. 

The  next  day  Khalifa  and  the  brother  of  the  chief  of 
Say  actually  arrived,  after  a  good  deal  more  fuss  and 
mystery.  Even  poor  little  Arabu,  who  wanted  to  sleep  in 
the  camp,  was  sent  away,  weeping  bitter  tears  at  the 
thought  that  his  white  brothers  did  not  want  him.  Very 
useless  were  all  these  precautions,  for  the  brother  of  the 
chief  of  Say,  though  perhaps  rather  more  polite,  was 
not  a  bit  more  sincere  than  he.  Our  visitor  explained 
that  he  had  come  to  see  us  quite  independently,  and 
that  his  great  wish  was  to  make  friends  with  us. 
What  he  really  wanted,  however,  was  a  bubu  and  a  copy 
of  the  Koran.  As  his  friendship  was  of  a  very  doubtful 
quality,  we  put  off  giving  the  present  to  another  time,  when 
he  should  have  proved  his  sincerity  by  getting  us  a  courier 
to  go  to  Bandiagara.  He  went  off  promising  to  see 
about  it. 

We  had  "  big  brothers  "  and  "  little  brothers  "  ad  infinitum, 
but  as  there  is  no  masculine  or  feminine  in  the  Fulah 
language,  the  Sudanese  when  they  try  to  speak  French 
muddle  up  relationships  in  a  most  original  manner,  without 
any  distinction  of  sex.  Abdulaye  said  to  us,  with  no  idea 
that  he  was  talking  nonsense,  "  My  grandfather,  who  was 
the  wife  of  the  king  of  Cayor  ;  "  and  it  is  no  rare  thing  for 
one  of  our  men  to  bring  a  young  girl  to  us  in  the  hope  of 
getting  a  present,  who  is  really  no  relation  to  him  at  all, 
telling  us,  "  Captain,  here  is  my  little  brother ;  he  has  come 
to  say  good-morning  to  you." 

In  my  journal  I  find  the  following  note  a  propos  oi  \hi?, 
confusion  of  relationships.     The  grandson  of  Galadio,  who 


MISTAKES   AND    FALSE    NEWS 


365 


came  to  see  us,  told  us  he  had  come  to  pay  his  respects  to 
his  grandfather,  and  I  was  that  grandfather,  because  I  was 
the  big  brother  of  his  other  grandfather.  The  muddle  is 
simply  hopeless,  but  with  it  all  the  natives  never  lose  their 
heads,  but  keep  in  view  the  possible  present  all  the  time. 


GALADIO  S  GRANDSON. 


Sunday^  May  3. — The  day  before  yesterday  some  strange 
news  was  brought  us  by  a  boy  of  about  fifteen.  He  had 
been  sent  secretly  to  us  by  the  Kurteye  marabout  we  had 
seen  when  we  were  on  our  way  to  Say.  A  horrible  plot  was 
being  concocted,  he  said,  for  Amadu,  remembering  the  spells 
of  his  father,  who  had  been  a  great  magician  at  Hamda- 
Allahi,  had  made  an  infallible  charm  against  us.     On  some 


366  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

copy-book  paper,  which  had  evidently  been  taken  off  our 
presents,  he  had  written  the  most  awful  curses,  imploring 
Allah  seven  times  over  to  exterminate  the  Kaffirs,  as  he 
called  us,  and  having  washed  the  paper  in  water  he  made 
a  goat  drink  the  decoction  thus  produced.  He  then  sent 
that  goat  to  us,  thinking  we  would  buy  it !  But  we  were 
warned  in  time. 

The  awful  grisgris  did,  in  fact,  arrive  in  camp  yesterday 
in  the  form  of  a  black  goat.  The  poor  creature  did  not 
look  as  if  she  were  charged  with  venom.  She  was  plump 
not  too  old,  and  would  make  a  first-rate  stew. 

All  our  men  were,  however,  afraid  to  have  anything  to 
do  with  her,  for  in  their  eyes  she  was  indeed  a  grisgris 
endowed  with  unholy  powers  by  Amadu.  The  negroes  are 
all  superstitious,  and  their  imagination  often  quite  runs 
away  with  them.  On  the  other  hand,  faith  is  sometimes 
wanting  amongst  the  Mussulmans.  Putting  on  an  air  of 
very  great  wisdom,  therefore,  we  generously  offered  two 
cubits  of  stuff,  worth  about  threepence-halfpenny,  for  the 
goat  filled  with  spells  against  us,  and  when  the  trader  who 
had  brought  her  looked  confused,  yet  almost  willing  to  let 
us  have  her  at  that  ridiculous  price,  we  explained  to  him 
emphatically  that  our  own  grisgris^  the  tubabu  grisgris,  had 
revealed  to  us  the  black  designs  of  Amadu,  and  we  intended 
to  have  him  and  his  goat  taken  back  to  the  other  side  of 
the  river,  mann  militari,  I  very  nearly  said  kicked  back. 

The  Kurteye  marabout  who  had  warned  us,  was  evidently 
a  friend,  unless  the  whole  story  was  made  up  to  get  a  present 
from  us.  Every  evening  now  regular  tornados  broke  near 
Say.  Up-stream  and  down-stream,  at  Djerma  and  at  Gurma, 
torrents  of  rain  fell  constantly,  and  the  lightning  flashed 
from  every  point  of  the  compass  ;  but,  strange  to  relate,  there 
was  no  rain  at  Say  itself,  and  when  there  is  no  rain 
there  is  no  harvest.     The  report  was  now  spread  that  we 


MISTAKES   AND    FALSE    NEWS  367 

had  called  down  on  the  village  the  curse  of  Allah.  The 
other  day  Amadu  Saturu  had  publicly  recited  the  Fatiha 
in  the  Mosque  in  the  hope  of  getting  rain  to  fall,  and  we 
were  told  that  in  the  meeting  of  the  notables  of  the  place, 
the  Kurteye  marabout  had  got  up  and  asserted  that  Say 
was  punished  for  having  given  a  bad  reception  to  a  man 
sent  from  God,  in  other  words,  to  the  chief  of  our  expedition, 
and  because  Amadu  had  broken  his  promise  and  all  his 
solemn  oaths. 

Like  my  uncle  Dr.  Barth  in  Sarayamo,  I  now  found  my- 
self looked  upon  as  the  bringer  of  storms.  He  had  also 
been  looked  upon  as  a  marabout  saint,  and  the  Fatiha  had 
been  recited  to  him  in  the  hope  that  he  would  open  the 
floodgates  of  heaven.  We,  Kaffirs  though  we  were,  would 
soon  in  our  turn  be  entreated  to  remove  our  interdict  on  the 
rain  so  much  needed. 

May  7. — Tierno,  after  many  a  discussion,  has  at  last  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  us  a  courier  in  the  person  of  an  ivory 
merchant  from  Hombori.  He  will  take  our  letters  for 
Bandiagara,  an  advanced  French  post  of  Massina.  Aguibu, 
king  of  Massina,  and  under  our  protection,  had  sent  an 
agent  to  Hombori,  which  is  on  the  road  there.  Our  man 
would  go  for  200  francs,  100  payable  at  Bandiagara  and 
100  on  his  return  to  us.  All,  therefore,  was  for  some  days 
excitement  and  bustle  in  our  camp.  Maps,  reports,  letters 
were  being  rapidly  got  ready,  and  nobody  had  a  moment  to 
spare.  Our  courier,  who  did  not  seem  to  feel  quite  sure  of 
his  safety,  sent  to  ask  whether  during  his  absence  his  family 
could  go  to  our  friend  Galadio,  who  would  protect  them. 
We  said  yes,  of  course. 

He  returned  a  month  later,  and  said  he  had  not  been 
able  to  get  to  Bandiagara.  The  Habes,  who  had  risen  in 
revolt,  had  robbed  him  near  the  village  of  De.  He  had  only 
escaped  with  the  greatest  difficulty  under  cover  of  a  tornado, 


368  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

leaving  his  packet  of  letters  in  the  hands  of  our  enemies. 
We  think  he  romanced  a  good  deal  on  the  subject,  and  I 
fancy  that  a  good  search  in  Amadu  Saturu's  camp  would 
probably  result  in  the  discovery  of  our  packet  intact,  except 
for  being  perhaps  gnawed  by  termites. 

I  had  some  little  doubt  on  the  subject,  however,  and  it  is 
thanks  to  that  doubt  that  the  courier  still  has  his  head  on 
his  shoulders.     I  never  saw  him  again. 

May  13. — Great  news!  We  are  told  by  Osman  that 
there  are  some  white  men  on  the  Dori  side  of  the  river,  but 
no  one  knows  exactly  how  many.  Barges  full  of  white 
men  are  floating  down-stream  ;  they  are  now  off  Ansongo. 
There  is  talk  of  three  iron  boats  like  ours  ;  those  in  them 
are  all  for  peace,  nothing  but  peace. 

May  16. — Who  is  our  friend  Pullo  bringing  us  this 
morning?  Who  is  that  man  with  him  who  looks  like  a 
Tuareg,  dressed  in  blue  Guinea  cloth,  with  a  grisgris  on  his 
head  and  a  spear  and  javelin  in  his  hand  ? 

He  is  a  Fulah,  the  foster-brother  of  Madidu,  with  his 
pockets  full  of  news.  Twenty  days  ago  he  said  he  had  left 
his  "  big  brother  "  to  come  to  Say  and  sell  four  oxen  for 
some  of  the  cloth  of  the  district.  One  of  these  oxen  had 
died,  another  had  been  stolen.  What  a  good  opportunity 
to  ask  us  to  give  him  a  bubu  to  make  up  for  his  losses. 

Madidu  had  not  known  that  we  were  still  at  Say.  Had 
he  done  so  he  would  certainly  have  sent  messengers,  perhaps 
even  have  come  himself.  He  or  Djamarata  would  have 
visited  us,  for  they  had  gone  down  the  river  as  far  as  Ayoru 
to  chastise  Yoba  for  some  want  of  respect  to  us,  but  I  am 
sure  I  don't  know  what. 

Our  Fulah  had  heard  a  rumour  of  four  white  men  having 
come  to  trade  on  the  Niger.  Madidu  had  sent  two  of  his 
blacksmiths  to  prepare  the  way  before  them,  and  he  had 
also  by  this  time  sent  envoys  to  Timbuktu  to  confirm  the 


MISTAKES   AND   FALSE   NEWS  369 

treaty  we  had  made  with  him.  He  did  not  know  what  had 
become  of  that  treaty,  but  anyhow  he  had  returned  with  his 
pocket  (Heaven  only  knows  the  capacity  of  that  pocket)  full 
of  knick-knacks  and  more  than  one  present  for  Madidu. 

The  news  of  the  approach  of  the  barges  was  confirmed 
during  the  following  days,  and  in  my  notes  I  find  the 
following  reference  to  them  : — 

May  ly. — A  man  from  Auru  who  had  come  to  Say 
told  us  that  at  Ansongo  there  were  three  hundred  armed 
men  and  seven  or  eight  whites  who  had  come  in  peace, 
nothing  but  peace,  and  were  coming  down  the  river  soon, 
at  least  as  soon  as  there  should  be  water  enough ;  at  present 
they  were  arrested  by  the  shallows.  The  white  men, 
according  to  our  informer,  were  French  like  ourselves. 

The  armed  men  have  now  increased  to  five  hundred,  and 
the  white  officers  to  eight,  who  are  waiting  for  the  rising  of 
the  river.  Really  these  rumours  were  beginning  to  make 
us  anxious.  The  barges  began  to  assume  in  our  imagina- 
tions the  appearance  of  properly  manned  vessels,  and  we 
wondered  if  there  really  was  anything  of  importance  in  the 
wind.  Perhaps  a  party  had  been  sent  out  from  Timbuktu 
for  Say  to  make  sure  that  we  had  plenty  of  provisions, 
perhaps  even  to  found  a  permanent  post  at  the  latter  place. 
It  would  be  good  policy,  but  bearing  in  mind  the  temper 
of  the  natives,  the  probability  was  that  we  should  not  know 
anything  for  certain  till  we  actually  saw  the  French  flag  at 
the  bend  of  the  river,  unless  of  course  Madidu  should  inform 
us  officially  beforehand. 

Suppose,  however,  that  a  French  party  had  followed  us, 
would  they  be  able  to  pass  ?  It  would  indeed  be  a 
bold  thing  to  attempt  to  pass  the  rapids  as  we  had  done, 
aided  as  we  were  by  the  natives,  and  with  such  a  skilful 
captain  as  Digui,  who  was  used  to  coolies  and  knew  how  to 
manage  them. 

B  B 


370  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE    NIGER 

May  17. — The  river  is  still  falling,  and  above  our  island 
a  little  sand-bank  is  now  laid  bare,  where  we  were  able  to 
leave  the  Davoust  for  the  repairs  the  damage  done  to  her 
at  Labezanga  rendered  necessary.  Aided  by  Abdulaye,  I 
undertook  the  task  of  patching  her  up,  and  found  it  a  simple 
affair  enough.  Fortunately  we  had  a  sheet  of  aluminium 
in  reserve,  one  only,  it  is  true,  but  it  was  all  we  needed.  We 
bent  that  sheet  to  the  shape  required,  we  bolted  and  riveted 


THE    '  DAVOUST     IN    HER    DRY  DOCK. 


it  all  in  a  few  days,  and  until  the  water  rose  again  the 
Davoust  remained  high  and  dry  in  her  dock  on  the  sand. 

The  sand-bank  was  very  useful  to  our  coolies  for  bathing 
from,  and  was  also  turned  to  account  by  the  women  who 
came  to  our  market  for  doing  their  washing.  The  deck  of 
the  Davoust  became  the  rendezvous  of  everybody,  and  no 
doubt  some  strange  episodes  took  place  on  and  in  the 
stranded  vessel.  The  flesh  is  weak,  and  it  was  perhaps  as 
well  that  the  chaplain  of  the  mission  and  his  aide-de-camp. 


MISTAKES   AND    FALSE    NEWS  371 

Baudry,  who  had  charge  of  the  police  department,  did  not 
inquire  too  closely  into  what  went  on  in  the  siesta  hour. 

May  18. — No  storm  at  Fort  Archinard,  though  it  is 
pouring  with  rain  all  round.  One  would  really  suppose  that 
we  had  a  grisgris  or  a  fetich  which  enabled  us  to  control 
the  elements. 

Three  men  came  from  Galadio  to  ask  us  to  send  him  the 
treaty  already  alluded  to.  We  gave  them  two  copies  of  it, 
one  of  which  was  to  be  returned  to  us  after  being  signed 
by  Ibrahim  if  he  approved  of  it.  This  treaty  was  a  league 
of  friendship  between  the  French  and  him,  agreeing  to  give 
mutual  aid  and  protection  throughout  the  whole  of  the 
districts  subject  to  him  or  to  the  French  to  all  who  came 
in  peace,  whether  as  travellers  or  traders,  whether  actually 
the  subjects,  or  only  aliens  under  the  protection  of  either 
of  the  contracting  parties.  Under  all  circumstances,  in  fact, 
and  by  every  means  in  their  power,  Galadio  and  the  French 
agreed  to  assist  each  other.  Both  would  do  their  very 
utmost  to  make  the  road  between  Uro  Galadio  and  Massina 
safe.  Lastly,  Ibrahim  promised  to  make  no  agreement 
with  any  other  European  without  having  first  consulted  the 
French  resident  at  Bandiagara. 

Later  the  duplicate  of  this  convention  came  back  to  us 
signed  in  beautifully  clear  and  firm  Arabic  writing,  after 
having  been  read  and  discussed  at  a  general  meeting  of 
native  notables.  This  valuable  treaty  had  not  been  obtained 
by  lavish  presents,  for  we  had  already  begun  to  practise 
economy,  in  view  of  the  probable  heavy  expenses  of  the 
return  journey,  and  we  had  warned  Ibrahim  that  he  must 
not  expect  costly  gifts. 

The  convention  was  simple,  direct,  and  easy  to  be  under- 
stood by  all.  It  was  in  my  opinion  the  most  complete 
treaty  which  could  possibly  be  drawn  up  in  these  parts, 
and  after  its  signature  we   had  a  right  to  rely  upon  the 


372  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

absolute  good  faith  of  the  other  party  to  the  contract,  and 
to  consider  him  our  friend  and  our  ally.  You  will  see 
presently  how  much  it  was  worth,  and  judge  from  that  of 
the  value  of  all  treaties  with  negro  chiefs,  especially  of 
those  left  with  them,  the  contents  of  which  have  never  been 
explained. 

Another  great  piece  of  news  !  A  Messiah  has  risen  up, 
by  name  Bokar  Ahmidu  Collado,  who  is  winning  converts 
on  the  Liptako  to  the  west  of  our  encampment,  between 
Say  and  Bandiagara.  He  has  already  had  considerable 
success,  and  has  received  investiture  from  Sokoto  with  a 
banner,  giving  him  the  right  to  make  war  on  the  French. 
He  went  to  Amadu  Cheiku  to  ask  for  reinforcements,  but 
that  chief  only  gave  him  his  blessing  in  a  very  frigid 
manner,  saying,  "  Believe  me,  the  time  will  come,  but  it  is 
not  yet  come,  for  driving  the  white  men  from  the  Sudan, 
the  land  of  our  fathers.  There  is  a  country  in  the  East 
bounded  by  a  big  creek  (the  Tchad  ?),  and  they  must 
spread  there  first.  As  for  me,  I  know  the  French  too  well 
to  care  to  rub  shoulders  with  them." 

Bokar  Ahmidu  Collado  then  went  to  Niugui,  chief  of  the 
Cheibatan  Tuaregs,  and  asked  him  to  give  him  some  men, 
but  Niugui  said  to  him,  "  Madidu  will  make  war  on  me  if 
I  help  against  his  friends  the  French."  "  You  have  no  faith," 
answered  the  Messiah ;  "  I  will  make  you  believe,"  and  he 
gave  him  a  consecrated  drink.  Then  they  say  Niugui  saw, 
in  the  air  above  him,  crowds  of  combatants  armed  with 
rifles  and  swords,  with  many  mounted  men,  all  follow- 
ing the  Messiah  and  the  triumphant  Crescent.  He  still 
hesitates,  however,  on  account  of  his  salutary  fear  of  Madidu. 

Bokar  Ahmidu  Collado  comes  from  a  village  of  Farimake, 
near  Tioko.  One  of  Galadio's  people  from  Wagniaka 
(Massina)  knew  him  when  he  was  quite  young.  "  A  poor 
fool  that  Collado,"  he  said  to  us,  "  who  has  not  even  been 


MISTAKES  AND   FALSE   NEWS  373 

to  Mecca,  yet  sets  up  for  being  a  Messiah  ! "     Moral :  No 
man  is  a  prophet  in  his  own  country. 

Something  special  seemed  to  be  going  on  all  through  the 
latter  part  of  May;  all  manner  of  news  pouring  in,  some  of 
it  really  seeming  very  likely  to  be  true.  The  barges  at 
Ansongo  constantly  increased  in  number.  The  Toucouleur 
chief  Koly  Mody  was  about  to  abandon  the  cause  of 
Amadu.  Diafara,  a  man  from  Kunari,  which  had  remained 
true  to  Agibu,  was  on  the  west  of  our  camp  to  levy  tribute 
in  Hombari,  to  found  a  post  at  Dori,  or  to  lead  a  very  strong 
force  of  French  and  their  allies  into  the  district  of  Mossi. 
The  people  of  Bussuma  had  been  defeated  and  driven 
away,  they  had  taken  refuge  at  Wagadugu,  which  last- 
named  rumour  seemed  to  us  most  likely  to  be  true,  for  it 
behoved  the  French  Sudan  to  avenge  the  injury  inflicted 
on  French  troops  the  previous  year  by  the  so-called  Naba 
of  the  Nabas.  What,  however,  were  we  to  think  of  all  the 
contradictory  rumours  which  sprung  up  like  mushrooms 
and  grew  like  snowballs,  to  melt  away  almost  as  quickly  as 
they  took  shape  ? 

May  20. — A  new  visitor  to-day,  original  if  nothing  more. 
Like  every  one  else,  he  has  his  budget  of  news,  and  told  us 
about  the  French  column  which  is  to  operate  in  Mossi. 
We  are  beginning  to  attach  very  little  importance  to  all 
this  gossip.  Our  guest  is  a  heathen,  or,  as  Suleyman  trans- 
lates it,  a  Christian,  explaining  that  he  must  be  a  co- 
religionist of  ours,  in  that  he  has  customs  peculiar  to  the 
Christians — drinks  dolo  and  gets  drunk  on  it,  of  which  he 
is  very  proud.  He  therefore  belongs  to  our  family,  and 
that  is  why  he  has  come  to  see  his  big  brother,  the 
commandant ! 

He  calls  himself  a  sorcerer,  and  seems  a  little  off  his 
head.  Anyhow  he  talks  great  nonsense.  Whilst  we  were 
questioning  him  he  kept  fingering  a  little  goat-skin  bag, 


374 


THE   EXPLORATION    OF  THE   NIGER 


out  of  which,  when  we  were  quite  weary  of  his  stupid 
repHes,  he  drew  a  small  phial  full  of  oil  of  pimento,  and  a 
number  of  tiny  little  pots — the  whole  paraphernalia  of 
magic,  in  fact.  Having  set  out  all  these  odds  and  ends  on 
the  ground,  he  proceeded  to  make  some  grisgris  to  protect 
the  hut  in  which  he  was  from  bullets. 

He  began  by  smoothing  the  sand  of  the  floor  with  his 
hand,  to  bring  good-fortune,  he  said,  and  he  then  skilfully 

drew  with  his  finger 
in  the  sand  four  par- 
allel lines  forming  par- 
allelograms. These 
he  combined  two  by 
two,  three  by  three, 
four  by  four,  and  so 
on,  reciting  invoca- 
tions all  the  time. 
He  then  rubbed  all 
the  first  designs  out 
and  began  again  with  fresh  invocations,  making  the  lines 
sometimes  vertical,  sometimes  of  other  shapes. 

With  a  very  solemn  face,  as  if  he  were  celebrating  mass, 
he  now  drew  forth  a  little  satchel  of  ancient  paper,  written 
all  over  in  Arabic  by  some  marabout,  and  muttered  some 
words,  evidently  learnt  by  heart,  for  he  certainly  could  not 
read.  At  last,  with  an  expression  as  serious  as  that  of  the 
Sphinx  of  the  desert,  he  announced  :  "  Hitherto  you  have 
had  none  but  enemies  in  the  land,  no  one  in  the  whole 
country  is  your  friend.  Beware  of  the  marabouts  !  Beware, 
above  all,  of  one  particular  marabout !  There  is  a  young 
man  ill  here  (this  was  Bluzet,  who  was  just  then  lying 
down  with  an  attack  of  fever),  but  it  will  not  be  much. 
You  must  sacrifice  a  white  chicken  for  his  recovery  ;  have  it 
broiled,  and  give  it  to  the  poor  :  this  will  conciliate  the  favour 


TYPICAL   MARKET   VVOxMKN. 


MISTAKES   AND    FALSE   NEWS  375 

of  the  great  prophet  Nabi  Mussa,  or  Moses.  It  will  be 
best  to  give  your  charity  to  children.  Then  all  the  grisgris 
of  the  negroes  and  the  marabouts  will  avail  nothing  against 
you.  But  beware,  above  all,  on  account  of  your  men.  If 
you  cut  away  all  the  roots  of  a  tree  it  falls.  In  the  same 
way,  if  they  take  away  your  negroes,  all  will  be  over  with 
you.  Now  I  have  come  to  give  you  a  grisgris  for  them, 
which  will  protect  them  from  all  spells,  and  even  from 
cortes  and  other  evils.  I  can  even  give  you  a  corte  myself, 
which  will  kill  a  man  if  you  only  throw  the  tiniest  bit  of  it 
in  his  face." 

The  corte  is,  in  fact,  the  most  terrible  of  all  spells 
amongst  the  negroes.  It  is  said  to  consist  of  a  powder 
which  slays  from  a  distance.  The  natives  say  that  if 
thrown  from  some  miles  off  the  man  it  touches  dies,  and 
the  truth  seems  to  be,  that  the  sorcerers  have  the  secret  of 
a  very  subtle  poison,  which  produces  terrible  disorders  in 
those  touched  by  it. 

As  a  matter  of  course,  we  did  not  accept  the  offers  of  a 
corte  or  counter  corte  from  Djula,  but  to  give  him  an 
idea  of  the  mischief  we  could  do  if  we  chose,  I  gave  him 
a  five-franc  piece  in  a  bowl  of  galvanized  water,  as  I  had 
the  son  of  the  chief  of  the  Kel  Temulai.  I  then  told  him 
to  go  to  Mossi  and  have  a  look  round  there  to  see  what 
would  happen.  He  is  a  crazy  old  fellow  enough,  but  I 
have  been  told  that  sorcerers  have  more  influence  over 
the  Mossi  and  their  nabas,  as  they  call  their  chiefs,  than 
those  who  are  in  the  full  possession  of  their  senses.  He 
was  willing  to  go,  and  when  the  Tabaski  was  over  he 
would  come  back  inch  Allah,  with  envoys  from  Bilinga  or 
Wagadugu. 

Now  Bilinga  is  eleven  days'  march  from'  Say,  and  eight 
days  after  he  left  us  the  old  fellow  came  back  pretending 
he   had   gone   all    the   way.     He   had   really  never   gone 


376 


THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 


beyond  Say,  and  brought  us  all  sorts  of  silly  news  only, 
so  Digui  took  him  by  the  shoulders  and  quite  gently  turned 
him  out  of  the  camp. 

May  20. — As  the  so-called  Tabaski  fete  approached, 
our  visitors  and  the  news  they  brought  were  greatly  on 
the  increase.  Pullo,  Osman,  and  the  minor  ambassadors 
vied  with  each  other  in  the  ingenuity  of  their  inventions. 


THE   MAKKt-T   AT   I'OKT   ARCHIxNAKD. 


The  fact  was,  they  all  wanted  to  have  new  bubus  for  the 
festive  occasion,  some  money,  some  coppers  to  buy  kola 
nuts,  etc.,  not  to  speak  of  new  bright-coloured  under- 
garments for  their  wives.  "  What  would  the  village  people 
say,  commandant,"  they  would  urge,  "  if  I,  who  every  one 
knows  to  be  a  friend  of  the  French,  should  cut  anything 
but  a  good  figure  ?  " 

Some  few,  however,  were  actuated  by  something  more 
than  a  wish  for  presents  on  their  visits  to  us.     They  were 


MISTAKES   AND   FALSE   NEWS  377 

rather  afraid  of  the  column  which  was  said  to  be  operating 
in  Mossi.  Osman  brought  the  chief  trader  of  the  market 
to  us,  a  Wagobe,  belonging  therefore  to  the  Sarracolais 
tribe,  an  intelligent  man  with  a  frank,  open  expression- 
His  pretext  for  coming  to  see  us  was  that  he  had  a  slave 
to  sell,  but  he  knew  well  enough  that  we  never  bought 
slaves.  She  had  been  brought  from  Samory's  camp, 
where  prices  for  such  merchandise  were  very  low,  there 
being  a  perfect  glut  of  slaves  in  the  market,  and  at  the 
same  time  a  scarcity  of  grain.  The  young  girl,  who  was 
in  good  health,  with  all  her  teeth  intact,  had  been  bought 
for  the  modest  sum  of  10,000  cowries,  about  10  francs,  or 
the  value  of  two  sheep,  or  of  a  sack  of  millet.  According 
to  her  owner,  prices  were  much  higher  at  Say,  where  a 
first-class  female  slave,  that  is  to  say,  a  young  virgin, 
would  fetch  200,000  cowries,  whilst  a  strong  young  man 
was  worth  150,000,  Less  valuable  captives  were  cheaper, 
and  some  of  the  fifth-class  went  for  as  little  as  100,000 
cowries.  These  are  of  course  commercial  quotations,  but 
as  a  matter  of  fact  now  and  then  a  few  are  sold  for  as 
low  a  sum  as  25,000  cowries. 

The  chief  of  the  market  brought  us  kola  nuts,  honey, 
rice,  and  milk.  He  mourned  over  the  evil  days  which  had 
fallen  on  Say.  "  All  our  roads,"  he  said,  "  are  blocked  on 
the  north  by  the  Tuaregs,  on  the  west  by  the  heathen 
Mossi,  on  the  south  by  the  Dendi,  and  on  the  east  by 
the  Kebbi  and  the  Mauri.  It  is  only  rarely  that  a  few 
caravans  with  a  strong  escort  can  get  as  far  as  Sansan 
Haussa,  by  way  of  Sergoe.  A  whole  fleet  of  canoes,  which 
went  down  to  Yauri  last  year,  had  remained  there  for  fear 
of  the  Dendikobes.  The  boatmen  had  founded  a  village 
there,  and  were  now  lost  to  Say.  Then,  besides  that,  things 
were  not  going  as  could  be  wished  by  those  of  the  true 
faith.     The  Empire  of  Sokoto  and  its  Emir  were  between 


378 


THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 


two  fires,  with   Rabba  on  one  side  and  the  Serki  Kebbi 
on  the  other." 

When  Osman,  returning  to  the  charge,  spoke  to  us  again 
about  the  column  supposed  to  have  gone  to  Mossi,  I  said 
to  him — "  You  see,  the  Naba  of  Wagadugu  gave  the  same 
kind  of  reception  to  the  Frenchmen  who  went  to  visit  him 


A  WOMAN    OF   SAY. 


last  year  as  Amadu  Saturu  has  given  to  us  at  Say.  So 
the  chief  of  the  whites  has  given  orders  that  his  village 
should  be  destroyed,  and  it  will  be  your  turn  next  year, 
I  hope." 

They  then  went  away  plunged  in  reflection. 

Visitors  are  all  the  fashion  just  now.  On  Thursday, 
May  21,  a  young  man    came   to   our  market   wearing  a 


MISTAKES   AND    FALSE    NEWS  379 

blue  bubu  trimmed  with  blue  and  red  printed  calico,  such 
as  is  made  at  Rouen.  We  had  long  known  the  owner  of 
this  costume,  and  when  we  recognized  him  we  were  ready- 
to  fling  ourselves  into  his  arms. 

He  at  least  was  a  genuine  person,  the  son  of  the  chief 
of  Fafa,  who  had  been  such  a  good  guide  to  us  when 
we  were  amongst  the  rapids,  the  son  of  that  old  Fulah 
who  wished  to  interpose  his  own  body  between  me  and 
Djamarata  to  protect  me  from  harm.  He  came  from 
Djamarata  now,  and  we  had  no  reason  to  doubt  his  good 
faith  at  least.  He  came,  he  said,  to  inquire  after  the  health 
of  the  commandant,  and  to  ask  what  state  our  boats  were 
in  after  passing  over  the  terrible  rocks,  etc.  Djamarata 
assured  us  of  his  friendship.  True,  when  we  first  arrived 
in  his  country  the  Tuaregs  had  been  on  their  guard,  but 
now  that  they  were  convinced  of  our  pacific  intentions, 
and  saw  that  we  molested  no  one,  the  Awellimiden  were 
quite  on  our  side,  and  had  full  confidence  in  us. 

When  our  friend  left  us  his  goat-skin  bag  was  full  of 
presents.  Here  at  least  was  one  native  who  deserved  well 
of  us,  for  he  had  made  a  twenty  days'  march  to  come  and 
give  us  his  master's  compliments. 

May  24,  Whitsunday. — It  appears  that  the  Mossi  column 
is  making  good  progress,  at  least  we  gather  that  it  is,  from 
the  improved  bearing  towards  us  of  the  natives,  but  lies  and 
all  manner  of  false  reports  are  still  the  order  of  the  day. 

Yesterday  the  fete  of  the  Tabaski,  or  the  Feast  of  the 
Sheep,  was  celebrated,  which  is  not,  it  appears,  of  Mahom- 
medan  origin.  The  village  of  Talibia  sent  envoys  to  make 
friends  in  our  camp,  and  some  wretched-looking  natives 
danced  a  tam-tam.  Others  came  to  beg,  and  to  all  the 
poor  creatures  we  gave  something — a  little  salt,  a  mechanical 
toy,  a  cubit  of  cloth,  or  some  other  trifles.  I  also  distributed 
a  little  money  amongst  our  own  men. 


38o 


THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 


A  regular  descent  was  made  on  the  camp  by  sellers  of 
kola  nuts,  grisgris^  etc.  A  number  of  women  also  came, 
amongst  whom  was  a  Toucouleur  girl  named  Fanta.  She 
said  she  had  come  to  see  if  her  brother  was  with  us,  but 
I  suspect  her  motives  were  not  quite  so  innocent  as  that 
In  the  end,  this  girl  became  a  dangerous  enemy  to  us. 
After  warning  her  off  again  and  again,  we  at  last  had 


ENVOYS  FROM   THE   CHIEF  OF    KIBTACHI. 


literally  to  drive  her  out  of  the  camp.  If  we  had  not 
done  so  I  expect  she  would  have  persuaded  some  of  our 
men  to  desert,  so  great  was  her  influence  over  them. 

Fanta  was  really  a  very  reckless  person,  and  is  supposed 
to  have  poisoned  a  man  whom  she  had  persuaded  to 
treason,  but  who  had  failed  to  achieve  the  result  she  had 
hoped  by  that  treason.  The  native  chiefs  know  only 
too  well  how  easy  it  is  to  seduce  men  from  their  allegiance 


MISTAKES   AND    FALSE    NEWS  381 

to  travellers  with  the  aid  of  some  pretty  fellow-country- 
woman of  theirs,  and  it  is  necessary  to  be  always  on  guard 
against  this  sort  of  thing. 

In  the  present  case  the  Tabaski  fete  passed  over  quietly 
enough.  We  regaled  our  visitors  with  a  little  apparently 
impromptu  fusillade,  which  we  had  really  agreed  upon 
beforehand  amongst  ourselves,  giving  the  Koyraberos  from 
Talibia  a  demonstration  of  the  penetrating  force  of  our 
bullets  on  the  branches  of  some  trees.  "  Bissimilaye ! 
Bissiniilayel"  cried  old  Suleyman  Foutanke,  hardly  able 
to  believe  his  own  eyes. 

June. — No  rain  at  Say  yet !  It  really  looks  as  if  we 
had  cast  a  spell  upon  the  place,  the  more  so  that  the  want 
of  rain  was  accompanied  by  a  plague  of  locusts.  We 
had  invoked  the  aid  of  Moses  against  our  enemies,  and 
now,  like  him,  I  had  brought  upon  the  natives  of  the 
land  of  our  exile  clouds  of  locusts  to  devour  all  green 
things.  The  people  were  in  despair.  A  drought  and 
locusts  together  meant  perhaps  the  complete  destruction 
of  the  harvest.  But  there  is  always  some  good  in  every- 
thing, and  the  Koyraberos  flung  themselves,  armed  with 
sticks,  into  the  thickest  part  of  the  swarms,  beating  down 
the  insects,  which  were  picked  up  by  the  children,  and 
stowed  away  in  their  bubus.  Fried  and  seasoned,  the 
locusts  made  a  very  appetizing  change  of  diet. 

Our  men  from  Senegal,  however,  made  great  fun  of  those 
who  ate  them  ;  they  were  themselves  much  too  civilized  for 
such  food  as  that.  "  The  Koyraberos,"  Digui  said  to  me, 
"  are  regular  savages  !  "  and  it  was  worth  something  to  hear 
the  tone  of  contempt  in  which  he  gave  utterance  to  this 
insulting  remark. 

The  chief  of  Kibtachi,  a  big  Haussa  village  down-stream, 
sent  us  various  presents  and  made  many  promises  to  us. 
He  also  begged  us  most  politely  to  visit  him  when  we 


382  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

passed  later.  "Why,"  he  said,  "did  you  not  come  to 
Kibtachi  to  begin  with,  instead  of  stopping  with  Saturu, 
who  wishes  you  no  good  ?  "  Talking  of  presents,  Galadio, 
when  he  returned  the  signed  treaty,  sent  a  wonderful 
collection  of  gifts,  including  kola  nuts,  symbolic  of  friend- 
ship, with  calabashes  full  of  honey,  and  bags  of  baobab 
flour,  the  medicinal  effect  of  the  two  being  totally  different, 
the  honey  acting  as  an  emollient,  the  flour  as  an  irritant. 

The  chiefs  of  the  Sidibes,  Kurteyes,  Sillabes,  etc.,  all 
vied  with  each  other  now  in  sending  messengers  to  us  to 
assure  us  of  their  friendship,  and  yet  another  notable,  chief 
of  the  Torodi  Fulahs,  asked  us  to  make  just  such  a  treaty 
with  him  as  we  had  with  his  friend  Galadio.  "  Galadio 
and  I,"  he  wrote  to  us,  "are  together  like  two  teeth  of 
the  same  comb ! "  A  happy  metaphor  indeed,  a  regular 
literary  gem ! 

Yes,  indeed,  they  all  belonged  to  the  same  comb,  these 
native  friends  of  ours,  and  as  yet  we  did  not  suspect  how 
very  dirty  that  comb  was. 

Presently  we  heard  of  a  split  amongst  the  Toucou- 
leurs,  and  that  the  Gaberos  had  had  enough  of  Amadu. 
They  sent,  in  fact,  to  beg  me  to  intercede  for  them  with 
my  friend  Madidu,  and  to  get  him  to  let  them  return  to 
his  country.  There  were  more  fresh  quarrels  too  between 
the  Toucouleurs  and  the  Sidibes.  Amadu  had  put  a 
Hadji  marabout  of  the  Sidibe  tribe  in  irons,  and  by  way 
of  reprisal  the  Sidibes  had  seized  three  Toucouleurs  at 
Yuli,  opposite  Dunga.  The  hostile  tribes  were,  in  fact, 
snarling  at  each  other  from  the  two  banks  of  the  river, 
and  showing  their  teeth  rather  like  porcelain  dogs,  only 
in  this  case  the  dogs  were  jet  black. 

The  Sidibes,  according  to  Pullo  Khalifa  and  the  son  of 
their  chief,  who  came  to  us  with  him,  were  disposed  to 
throw    themselves    upon    our    protection.     If,   they    said, 


MISTAKES   AND    FALSE   NEWS 


383 


Amadu  had  not  set  their  Hadji  free  in  three  days,  the 
Sidibe  women  with  their  flocks  and  herds  would  be  placed 
under  the  protection  of  our  guns  ! 

Would  this  be  the  spark  which  would   set   fire  to  the 
gun-powder?     Hurrah !     If  it  were,  our  protectorate  would 


A   COBBLER   OF  MOSSI. 


become  an  effective  one ;  we  should  have  a  fine  role  to 
play ;  that  of  intervening  in  favour  of  a  native  coalition 
against  the  parasitical  Toucouleurs,  the  hereditary  enemies 
of  French  influence  in  Africa. 

All,  then,  was  tending  in  the  direction  of  our  hopes. 
A  good  job  too,  for  the  river  was  falling,  falling,  falling. 
Our  island  was  completely  transformed,  for  a  big  isthmus 


384  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

of  sand  and  flints  now  united  it  to  the  right  bank. 
Hu/idreds  of  determined  men,  or  of  men  driven  in  from 
behind,  might  pour  into  the  camp  any  night  now,  as  into 
some  popular  fair. 

Reassured  though  we  were  by  what  we  heard  of  the 
poHtical  condition  of  the  country,  and  by  all  these  pro- 
testations of  friendship,  we  yet  awaited  the  14th  July  with 
impatience,  and  we  celebrated  its  passing  as  joyfully  as 
possible  when  it  came  at  last.  No  sooner  was  it  over, 
however,  when  slowly  and  quietly,  and  at  first  very  doubt- 
fully, certain  bad  news  filtered  through,  which  gradually 
gained  certainty. 

For  once,  indeed,  there  was  no  doubt  about  the  evil 
tidings,  which  were  diametrically  opposed  to  all  that  the 
politeness  of  the  natives  would  have  had  us  believe.  The 
whole  country,  Toucouleurs,  people  of  Say,  of  Kibtachi, 
and  of  Torodi,  with  the  Sidibes,  the  Gaberos  and  others, 
had  combined  against  us  and  were  marching  to  attack  us. 

Naturally  no  one  had  thought  fit  to  warn  us.  It  was 
Osman,  poor  fellow,  who,  in  spite  of  himself,  put  us  on 
the  scent,  and  gave  us  the  alarm.  He  meant  to  play  the 
part  of  an  angel  of  light,  but,  as  is  often  the  case,  his  role 
was  really  quite  the  reverse. 

One  fine  day  he  said  to  us  point-blank,  "  There  is  no  cause 
for  anxiety  now,  you  can  sleep  with  both  ears  shut,  for 
Amadu  Saturu  and  Amadu  Cheiku  are  both  most  favour- 
ably disposed  towards  you." 

"  Why  do  you  tell  us  that,  Osman  ?  "  I  asked.  "  I  feel 
sure  you  have  some  very  good  reason,  but  take  care  what 
you  say.  You  are  lying,  I  know.  Amadu  is  really  trying 
to  pick  a  quarrel  with  us." 

"  Bissimilaye  !  not  a  bit  of  it,"  was  the  reply.  "  He  is 
only  getting  his  column  together  to  move  against 
Djermakoy." 


MISTAKES   AND    FALSE   NEWS 


38s 


I  had  never  been  told  a  word  about  that  expedition,  and 
the  fact  seemed  strange,  so  I  said — 

"  Osman !  you  are  telHng  a  he.  What  column  is  going 
against  Djermakoy  ?  " 

Then  with  much  hesitation,  and  turning  as  pale  as  a 
negro  can  when  he  has  got  himself  into  a  hobble,  he 
began    to   tell   us   how   all   the   people   of  Say,   and   the 


FORT   ARCHINARD. 


Toucouleurs,  in  fact,  all  the  natives,  had  united  to  march 
on  Dentchendu,  a  big  village  of  Djerma,  the  very  centre 
of  the  Futanke  agitation,  but  that  before  actually  starting 
they  were  all  coming  to  Say  to  receive  the  benediction 
of  Saturu,  who  would  recite  the  Fatiha  to  the  glory  of 
the  Prophet  on  the  tomb  of  his  ancestor,  Mohammed 
Djebbo,  who  had  founded  the  town. 

I  understood  at  once,  and  really  the  plan  to  surprise 
us  had  not  been  at  all  badly  thought  out.    "  Well,  Osman," 


c  c 


386  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

I  said,  "you  will  warn  Modido  that  if  the  Toucouleur 
column  camps  in  or  near  his  village,  in  which  he  declined 
to  receive  us,  it  will  mean  war  with  us."  "  Oh ! "  cried 
Osman  in  his  dismay,  "  the  whole  column  will  not  come, 
only  the  chiefs,  with  Ahmidu  Ahmadu,  the  leader  of  the 
troops." 

Then  he  tried  to  undo  what  he  had  done,  and  told  quite 
a  different  story,  saying  he  had  been  mistaken ;  Saturu 
would  go  and  give  the  benediction  to  the  column  on  the 
bank  near  Djerma. 

We  were  warned  now ;  a  big  column  really  was  as- 
sembled. We  made  discreet  inquiries  on  every  side,  and 
all  the  news  we  heard  confirmed  the  fact.  Pullo  himself 
now  ventured  to  be  explicit,  and  told  us  to  be  on  our  guard. 

The  palm  of  deception  and  treason  must  be  given  in 
this  case  to  a  Fulah  from  Massina,  called  Ahmadu  Mumi, 
but  we  were  the  ones  to  reap  the  benefit  of  his  evil-doing. 
Born  in  the  village  of  Mumi,  near  Mopti,  on  the  Niger,  all 
his  people  had  been  killed  by  the  Toucouleurs  when  El 
Hadj  Omar  won  his  great  victory.  He  himself  had  been 
taken  prisoner,  and  dragged  behind  the  horses  of  his 
captors  to  Say,  where,  bruised,  bleeding,  and  in  rags,  he 
was  sold.  Of  course,  as  a  natural  consequence,  he  hated 
the  Toucouleurs  with  an  intense  and  bitter  hatred,  but  he 
was  later  bought  by  the  chief  of  Say,  who  set  him  free. 
He  became  the  confidant  and  friend  of  his  liberator,  so 
that,  as  he  explained  to  us,  he  knew  better  than  any  one 
else  what  was  going  on,  and  was  therefore  better  able  to 
betray  Saturu. 

He  did  betray  him  too,  for  a  high  price,  revealing  to  us 
all  the  preparations  our  enemies  were  making  against  us. 
Amadu,  it  appeared,  aided  by  the  chief  of  Say,  had  rallied 
every  one  all  round  to  his  standard,  and  to  win  over  the 
lukewarm,  vague  hints  were  thrown  out  of  going  to  get 


MISTAKES   AND    FALSE    NEWS 


387 


slaves  amongst  the  Djermas  on  the  left  and  the  Gurmas 
on  the  right  bank  of  the  river.  All  would  meet  at  Say 
for  the  benediction,  and  then  at  the  critical  moment, 
Madidu,  pretending  to  be  suddenly  supernaturally  inspired, 
would  exclaim — "  Listen  !  what  says  the  prophet  ?  Leave 
the  Gurmas  and  the  Djermas  alone.  It  is  against  the 
infidels,  the  Kaffirs  of  Talibia, 
that  you  must  march.  It  is 
their  destruction  which  will 
please  God  !  "  Then  every  one 
would  be  carried  away  by  en- 
thusiasm, and  urging  each  other 
on,  would  rush  in  their  fanatical 
zeal  to  the  attack  of  our  little 
island. 

None  but  the  chiefs  knew  of 
the  plot,  Ahmadu  Mumi  told 
us,  but  he  had  been  so  placed 
that  he  could  tell  what  they 
were  all  thinking  of  Double 
traitor  that  he  was,  he  used  to  go  backwards  and  forwards 
from  Say  to  Dunga,  and  from  Dunga  to  Fort  Archinard, 
spying  and  taking  bribes  now  from  one  side,  now  from 
the  other.  When  with  us  he  would  say  all  he  wanted 
was  revenge  on  the  Toucouleurs. 

Well,  we  merely  said  "  All  right  I "  and  set  to  work  with 
feverish  activity  to  double  our  abattis,  which  the  tornados 
had  somewhat  damaged,  and  to  build  new  loopholed 
redoubts  round  the  camp.  On  July  14  we  were  all 
eagerly  engaged  in  preparing  for  the  defence  of  our  fort, 
and  I  don't  suppose  any  one  gave  a  thought  to  the  review 
at  Longchamps,  or  to  the  public  balls  going  on  in  Paris  at 
this  festive  time.  As  in  all  crises  and  times  of  difficulties,  our 
coolies  rose  to  the  occasion,  and  showed  themselves  more 


A  MARKET  WOMAN. 


388  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

full  of  zeal,  better  disciplined,  more  thoroughly  in  hand 
under  their  French  officers  than  they  had  ever  done  before, 
so  that  when  we  saw  the  smoke  from  the  camp  of  the 
allies  rising  up  above  Say,  we  were  all  perfectly  ready  for 
the  attack. 

Ready  to  make  the  besiegers  pay  dearly  for  their  temerity 
at  least,  but  it  would  not  do  to  count  upon  all  of  us  coming 
safe  and  sound  out  of  the  affair :  the  forces  were  too  terribly 
unequal  for  that.  Amadu  had  five  hundred  guns  with  him, 
and  the  Toucouleurs  are  brave,  especially  when  their 
fanaticism  has  been  aroused.  A  certain  number  of  the 
captives  taken  by  the  Tuaregs  had  also  come  from  Sorgoe 
to  join  hands  with  them.  Aliburi,  too,  the  hero  of  Cayor 
of  Yuri  memory,  was  there,  and  in  a  night  attack  all 
these  auxiliaries  would  be  very  formidable  adversaries  to 
us.  We  wondered  how  many  warriors  there  were  alto- 
gether, including  those  armed  with  bows  and  arrows  or 
spears  only.  It  was  very  difficult  to  form  an  idea,  for 
negroes  never  allow  their  numbers  to  be  counted  when 
they  go  to  war.  They  think  it  brings  bad  luck.  There 
was,  however,  no  doubt  that  at  this  time  Amadu  could 
muster  from  ten  to  fifteen  hundred  combatants. 

And  to  oppose  to  all  this  rabble,  we  were  but  forty-five, 
even  if  we  counted  in  our  scullions. 

The  worst  of  it  was,  a  good  many  of  our  cartridges  had 
got  damaged,  partly  by  the  great  heat  and  partly  by  the 
damp.  The  damage  was  such  that  at  the  first  shot  the 
weapon  might  become  useless  for  the  rest  of  the  fight,  a 
serious  matter  when  we  were  so  few. 

It  certainly  seemed  as  if  we  were  in  for  it  at  last ! 

Several  nights  passed  by  in  suspense,  and  we  all  slept 
badly.  On  the  north  we  could  see  the  gleam  of  many 
moving  torches  in  the  forest,  for  from  Talibia  to  Say 
signals  were  being  made.     Torches  of  straw  were  lit  and 


MISTAKES   AND   FALSE   NEWS 


389 


put  out  three  by  three,  but  what  these  signals  portended 
we  could  not  tell. 

July  17. — It  seems  that  the  attack  on  our  camp  is  now 
decided  upon,  for  our  spy  tells  us  we  shall  be  assailed 
from  the  right  bank  in  the  night  when  there  is  no  moon. 
The  Toucouleurs  are  camped  at  Tille  above  Say.  At  the 
benediction  to  be  given  at  three 
o'clock  Amadu  Saturu  will  stir 
up  the  people.  We  might  ex- 
pect the  first  alarm  at  about  ten 
o'clock.  Ahmadu  Mumi  spoke 
very  positively,  though  he  ex- 
plained that  he  could  not  be 
absolutely  certain,  and  anyhow 
not  a  woman  had  come  to  the 
market  that  morning.  Osman, 
on  the  other  hand,  stoutly  de- 
nied the  report,  but  this  only 
made  us  more  sure  of  its  truth, 
and  we  doubled  our  sentries  in 
preparation  for  a  night  which  might  perhaps  be  our 
last. 

We  waited  and  waited,  but  nothing  happened.  We 
heard  nothing  that  night,  as  on  so  many  others,  but  the 
howling  of  the  monkeys  and  the  murmuring  of  the  rapids 
down-stream. 

Everything  remained  quiet  the  next  day  too,  and  gradu- 
ally all  the  smoke  faded  away,  whilst  the  light  of  the 
torches  was  extinguished.  The  women,  who  had  deserted 
our  market,  returned  as  if  there  had  never  been  any  reason 
for  their  absence,  and  all  went  on  as  before.  We  knew  now 
that  the  column  was  again  dispersed,  the  warriors  had 
drawn  back  at  the  very  last  moment,  and  had  gone  off  m 
small  parties  to  take  slaves  in  Djerma,  or  to  attack  Dosso. 


A   FULAH   WOMAN. 


390  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE    NIGER 

All  the  energy,  they  had  displayed  with  regard  to  us  had 
been  simply  wasted. 

It  had  been  enough  for  us  to  assume  a  firm  attitude,  and 
for  the  natives  to  know  that  we  had  been  warned.  To 
maintain  a  firm  attitude  seems  rather  like  a  quotation  from 
Tartarin  de  Tarascon,  for  we  should  have  found  it  difficult 
enough  to  defend  ourselves.  How  should  I  have  been  able 
to  make  good  my  threats  that  I  would  burn  Say  on  the 
first  alarm  ? 

It  seemed,  however,  that  Saturu  really  was  rather  alarmed, 
lest  harm  should  happen  to  his  town.  He  would  not  let 
the  column  camped  near  it  enter  Say,  and  the  Friday 
benediction  was  only  after  all  pronounced  on  the  chiefs. 
Their  secret  they  knew  had  leaked  out,  they  had  seen  us 
strengthen  our  defences,  and  they  hesitated  after  all  to 
attack  us.  The  knowledge  of  the  bloodshed  which  would 
inevitably  ensue  had  greatly  cooled  the  enthusiasm  of  all 
not  quite  mad  with  fanaticism,  and  many  whose  adherence 
had  been  counted  on  as  certain  had  failed  to  put  in  an 
appearance.  Then  the  rain  had  something  to  do  with 
damping  the  ardour  for  war.  The  daily  storms,  which  had 
come  at  last,  completed  the  demoralization  of  the  rabble. 
They  had  missed  their  aim,  because  we,  who  were  that  aim, 
had  been  on  our  guard,  and  some  went  off  one  way, 
others  another,  to  hunt  slaves  instead  of  rushing  upon  our 
defences. 

We  had  had  a  narrow  escape,  but  it  was  a  complete  one, 
for  the  new  moon  was  rising  now,  and  the  river  was  rapidly 
increasing  in  depth,  adding  each  day  to  the  efficiency  as  a 
defence  of  the  ditch  which  divided  us  from  the  mainland 
and  our  enemies. 

We  were  saved !  but  for  a  whole  week  we  had  been  face 
to  face  with  the  melancholy  prospect  of  ending  our  lives 
on  this  remote  island,  and  often  and  often  as  we  watched 


MISTAKES   AND    FALSE    NEWS  391 

we  wondered  whether,  if  we  were  massacred,  we  should  be 
better  or  more  quickly  avenged  than  our  predecessor 
Flatters  had  been. 

We  now  understood  all  the  false  rumours  which  had  been 
spread  of  French  columns  marching  in  the  neighbourhood, 
and  of  all  these  columns  were  going  to  do.  The  reports 
were  spread  merely  to  induce  us  to  leave  our  tata^  where 
we  were  in  comparative  security,  and  which  the  Toucouleurs 
seemed  to  look  upon  as  impregnable.  Our  enemies  wanted 
to  decoy  us  to  go  and  meet  our  comrades,  so  that  they  might 
fall  on  us  in  the  bush,  where  the  odds  would  have  been 
against  us,  and  so  destroy  us  altogether. 

Then  when  they  saw  how  we  took  the  rumours,  we  heard 
they  changed  their  tactics,  and  tried  to  throw  us  off  our 
guard  again  by  talking  about  making  friends,  signing 
treaties,  and  so  on,  meaning,  if  they  could  secure  our  con- 
fidence, to  fall  suddenly  upon  us  en  masse.  The  plan  was 
ingenious  certainly,  but  those  who  concocted  it  had  reckoned 
without  allowing  for  Osman's  stupidity. 

What  became  of  the  Toucouleur  column  after  all  ?  Not 
having  dared  through  fear  of  our  guns  to  march  against  us, 
it  had  turned  its  attention  to  Dentchendu,  a  big  village  on 
the  left  bank ;  but  the  chief  hesitated  too  long  in  this  case 
also,  giving  time  for  the  inhabitants  to  receive  warning,  to 
put  their  village  in  a  state  of  defence,  and  send  all  the 
useless  mouths  away. 

Again  the  Toucouleurs  were  too  late,  and  besides,  as 
Osman,  who  still  visited  us  in  spite  of  all  our  rebuffs,  told 
us,  the  poison  of  the  Dentchendu  arrows  is  very  dangerous. 
All  these  warriors  are  fond  of  fighting  and  going  on  slave 
raids,  for  the  glory  of  the  Prophet,  but  they  take  very  good 
care  of  their  own  skins.  We  wondered  if  the  Toucouleurs 
who  remained  faithful  to  Amadu  would  become  cowards  like 
his  own  people  through  contact  with  them.    Our  experiences 


39^ 


THE  EXPLORATION   OP^   THE   NIGER 


made  us  think  that  we  were  indeed  far  from  the  heroic 
days,  when  the  Senegalese  Foutankes,  in  the  battle  of  Kale, 
charged  a  column  on  the  march  to  rescue  the  wives  of 
Ahmadu  who  had  been  taken  prisoners,  stopping  suddenly 
beneath  a  hail  of  bullets  from  the  French  sharp-shooters 
to  prostrate  themselves,  and  make  a  propitiatory  salaam. 
Having  through  fear  abandoned  the  idea  of  attacking  us 


LAUNCHING  OF  THE    '  AUBE      AT   SAY. 


at  Fort  Archinard,  the  column  wandered  in  the  rain  from 
village  to  village,  and  was  received  everywhere  with  apparent 
friendship  by  the  terrified  inhabitants,  so  that  all  the  fire 
ended  in  smoke,  though  no  one  seemed  to  know  exactly 
why. 

The  check  the  Toucouleurs  had  received  made  it  possible 
for  some  of  the  chiefs  to  show  us  sympathy,  whether  feigned 
or  real  it  was  impossible  to  tell.  Amongst  these  was  Hamma 
Tansa,  chief  of  the  Sillabes,  who  was  rather  an  original 


MISTAKES   AND    FALSE    NEWS  393 

character  for  a  native.  He  was  something  of  an  epicure,  what 
we  should  call  a  jolly  good  fellow,  but  charitable  to  others. 
He  kept  open  house,  or  rather  hut,  and  always  had  a  lot  of 
friends  about  him,  whom  he  treated  to  everything.  When 
he  was  informed  that  the  meal  was  served,  he  used  to 
jump  up,  flap  his  white  bubu  as  he  would  wings,  and  shout, 
'^Let'sfallto!" 

He  was  literary  too,  and  the  missives  he  sent  us,  written 
on  little  plaques  of  wood,  were,  in  accordance  with  Arab 
usage,  very  polite,  and  sometimes  even  in  verse.  He  said 
he  meant  to  pay  us  a  visit,  was  most  anxious  to  do  so  in 
fact,  but  somehow  he  never  fulfilled  his  promise :  either 
he  had  not  time,  or  he  was  afraid  of  Amadu,  or  something 
else. 

One  fine  day  our  old  friend  Hugo  appeared  again,  sent 
to  us  by  the  chief  of  the  Kurteyes,  and  who,  thanks  to 
Taburet's  skill,  had  now  quite  recovered  from  the  affection 
of  the  eyes  from  which  he  had  been  suffering.  He  sent  us 
a  message  to  the  effect  that,  as  long  as  the  river  was  low, 
he  and  his  people  were  afraid  of  the  Toucouleurs ;  "  but 
wait,"  he  added,  "  till  it  rises,  for  then  the  Kurteyes  are  the 
kings  of  the  Niger ;  no  one  can  get  at  us,  and  we  shall  be  able 
to  shake  hands  with  you." 

The  most  devoted  and  zealous  of  all  our  friends,  however, 
was  Galadio,  and  there  was  a  perpetual  going  and  coming 
between  his  village  and  our  camp.  Marabouts,  griots, 
traders,  etc.,  were  constantly  arriving,  telling  us,  "  I  am  from 
Galadio's  village,"  and  we  received  them,  from  motives 
of  policy,  with  open  arms,  buying  from  them  rather  than 
from  others,  giving  them  presents,  and  plenty  of  kind 
words.  They  all  sang  the  praises  of  their  master,  and  he 
really  did  show  himself  to  us  in  a  very  amiable  light.  He 
was  perhaps  if  anything  rather  too  gushing. 

At  my   request  he  sent   us   the  female   blacksmith   of 


394 


THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 


Bokar  Wandieidiu,  to  whom  I  have  already  alluded,  to  help 
us  to  complete  our  Tuareg  vocabulary.  She  was  accom- 
panied by  a  marabout  named  Tayoro,  a  Fulah  from 
Wagnaka  in  Massina,  a  very  distinguished  and  refined- 
looking  old  man,  with  a  white  beard,  who  came  from 
Konnari  in  the  same  district,  and  whose  name  was  Modibo 
Konna. 


TAYORO  AND  MODIBO  KONNA. 


He  spoke  bozo,  or  the  dialect  of  the  Niger  fishermen  near 
Mopti,  and  this  enabled  Baudry  to  draw  up  an  elementary 
vocabulary  of  that  language. 

This  lady  blacksmith,  with  Tayoro  and  Modibo  Konna, 
were  our  guests  for  some  days,  and  we  were  really  quite 
fascinated  by  their  manners,  and  the  way  in  which  they 
behaved  to  us.  We  had  certainly  not  been  accustomed  to 
meet  with  tact  such  as  theirs  amongst  the  natives,  and 
they  finally  removed  all  my  prejudices  against  their  master 


MISTAKES   AND    FALSE    NEWS  395 

Galadio.  So  I  sent  to  ask  him  whether,  as  he  was  too  old 
to  visit  me,  I  should  go  to  see  him,  for  were  we  not  friends 
like  two  fingers  on  one  hand,  or,  to  use  the  native  simile, 
like  two  teeth  of  one  comb  ?  If  he  would  see  me,  when 
should  I  come  ? 

It  would  only  take  me  three  days  to  go,  I  reflected,  and 
it  was  of  importance  for  us  to  let  the  whole  country  see 
that  Galadio  was  our  friend,  and  that  when  we  broke  up 
our  camp  we  should  leave  behind  us  an  ally  devoted  to  our 
interests,  in  fact  so  compromised  that  he  must  remain  true 
to  us.  It  would  be  very  important  to  us  to  have  such  a 
helper  when  it  came  to  the  organization  of  the  district,  and 
he  might  be  made  its  ruler  as  a  protected  native  chief 

My  messengers  returned  a  few  days  later,  bringing  horses 
with  them  for  me  to  make  the  journey,  and  assuring  me 
that  their  master  would  be  delighted  to  receive  me. 

While  waiting  for  the  envoys  to  come  back,  we  worked 
very  hard  at  our  vocabularies.  All  went  well  with  them, 
and  we  completed  them  in  a  few  days.  Between  whiles 
Tayoro  turned  our  knowledge  of  his  dialect  to  account,  by 
telling  me  the  following  charming  story  about  the  time 
of  the  Fulah  reformation  in  Sokoto. 

When  the  great  reformer,  Othman  Fodio,  who,  by  the 
way,  was  a  noted  robber  and  slave-hunter,  preached  the 
so-called  reformation,  that  is  to  say,  the  revolt  against  the 
chief  of  the  Haussa  Fulahs,  he  was  followed  by  a  great 
many  disciples,  as  of  course  all  prophets  are. 

One  evening  when  Othman  was  preaching  and  expound- 
ing the  truth,  his  eyes  suddenly  fell  upon  a  venerable- 
looking  old  man  who  was  sobbing. 

"  Look  ! "  cried  the  reformer,  "  look  at  that  old  man 
weeping ;  follow  his  example,  for  Allah  has  touched  his 
heart." 

Then  the  poor  old  fellow,  the  tears  still  rolling  down  his 


396  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

cheeks,  said  in  a  choked  and  broken  voice,  "  No,  Modibo, 
no,  you  have  read  my  heart  wrongly ;  when  I  saw  you 
holding  forth  so  vehemently,  and  shaking  your  grey  beard, 
you  reminded  me  of  my  old  goat  which  I  left  at  home  in 


A   YOUNG   GIRL   AT  FORT   ARCHINARD. 


my  hut  to  follow  you.  That  is  what  made  me  sob,"  and 
he  went  on  weeping. 

This  anecdote,  which  loses  much  of  its  piquancy  in 
translation,  is  very  typical  of  the  character  of  the  nomad 
Fulahs,  illustrating  as  it  does  their  combined  fanaticism 
and  self-interest. 

As  I  have  said,  we  were  all  quite  won  over  by  the 
behaviour  of  Tayoro  and  Modibo  Konna,  when  one  fine 


MISTAKES   AND    FALSE    NEWS  397 

evening,  after  the  lesson  in  Tuareg  was  over,  Suleyman 
the  interpreter  came  to  seek  me,  and  said  point-blank  : 
"  Commandant,  all  these  people  are  only  making  game  of 
you.  Tierno  Abdulaye,  the  Arabic  translator,  who  is  a 
mischievous  fellow,  saw  that  old  Modibo  Konna  is  an  old 
gossip  who  can't  keep  a  secret,  and  as  he  wanted  to  know 
all  about  Galadio  and  the  rest  of  them,  he  said  to  him, 
'  What,  will  you  Modibos,  good  Mussulmans,  true  believers, 
take  part  against  Amadu,  against  the  son  of  El  Hadji 
Omar? — and  your  chief  Galadio,  is  he  likely  to  take  the 
side  of  the  French  ?  I,  Tierno  Abdulaye,  am  with  them 
because  I  can't  help  myself,  but  my  heart  is  with  the 
Toucouleurs,  my  fellow-countrymen.  If  it  came  to  a  fight, 
I  should  be  the  first  to  desert.  True  Mussulmans  could 
not  really  consort  with  Kaffirs  ! ' 

"  '  All  in  good  time  ! '  answered  Modibo  Konna.  '  At 
least  I  shall  find  somebody  to  talk  to,  meanwhile.  Do  you 
really  suppose  that  we  were  ever,  in  good  faith,  the  allies  of 
the  commandant  ?  Why,  Galadio  is  Amadu's  best  friend  ; 
he  it  was  who  helped  him  to  reach  the  left  bank.  Tayoro 
and  I  are  only  here  as  spies,  to  prevent  the  French  from 
doing  harm,  such  as  attacking  Dunga  or  Say.  As  soon  as 
you  arrived  Ibrahim  realized  that  it  would  be  best  to  seem 
friendly  with  you.  He  even  reproached  Amadu  Saturu 
for  refusing  your  hospitality,  because  they  would  have  been 
able  to  keep  an  eye  on  you  better  at  Say.  By  adopting 
this  attitude  towards  you,  we  have  got  presents,  Kaffirs 
are  always  lawful  prey,  whilst  the  rest  of  the  natives  have 
got  nothing.  As  for  me,  Modibo  Konna,  I  was  recalled 
from  Dunga,  where  I  was  looking  after  Ibrahim's  affairs 
and  sent  here.  When  I  go  back  I  shall  return  to  Dunga 
to  report  all  I  have  seen.  Do  you  suppose  for  one 
moment  that  a  marabout  such  as  Ibrahim  would  ever  be 
false  to  the  true  religion  ?  '  " 


398  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

The  whole  secret  of  the  plot  against  us  was  now  revealed. 
Galadio,  distrusting  the  old  gossip,  had  merely  sent  Tayoro, 
the  clever  diplomatist,  with  him  to  see  that  he  did  not 
talk  nonsense.  For  four  whole  months  they  had  all  been 
fooling  us,  with  very  considerable  address,  it  must  be 
admitted.  However,  the  duplicity  with  which  we  had  been 
treated  all  this  time  had  one  good  result — we  had  had  the 
pleasure  of  imagining  that  we  had  at  least  one  good  friend 
in  the  country  on  whom  we  could  rely,  and  this  thought 
had  been  good  for  the  morale  of  our  men,  for  it  is  not 
at  all  inspiriting  to  feel  completely  isolated  in  a  strange 
land.  Even  if  it  is  all  a  delusion,  it  is  consoling  to  fancy 
oneself  liked  and  respected. 

The  end  of  it  all  might  however  have  been  very  different. 
Horses  had  been  sent  for  me  to  go  to  Galadio's  camp,  and 
if  I  had  started,  accompanied  by  Father  Hacquart  and  a 
few  men,  we  might  have  been  murdered  by  the  way. 
Maybe  Galadio  would  have  been  afraid  of  immediate 
reprisals ;  maybe  he  would  have  hesitated  to  commit 
a  crime  which  would  have  compromised  him  for  the 
future ;  or  perhaps,  even  he  was,  after  all,  too  good 
a  fellow  to  injure  those  who  were  coming  to  him  as 
guests. 

This  was  the  last  scene  of  the  comedy  in  which  we  took 
part  at  Fort  Archinard.  We  had  now  to  begin  to  think 
seriously  of  starting  again,  as  we  had  already  long  before 
announced  that  we  should  go  on  September  15.  We  had 
bought  our  stores  of  grain,  and  our  barges  were  once  more 
in  a  state  of  repair.  The  information  we  had  received 
about  the  river  was  to  the  effect  that  it  was  now  navigable 
again.  We  were  all  busy  repacking  our  stuffs  and  knick- 
knacks,  and  were  eager  to  be  off. 

Taburet  was  simply  boiling  over  with  impatience,  and 
was  already  inquiring  what  steamboat  we  could  catch  at 


MISTAKES   AND   FALSE   NEWS  399 

Dahomey,  and  wondering  by  what  train  he  could  go  to 
Conquet.  The  rest  of  us,  though  we  did  not  say  so  much 
about  it,  were  just  as  anxious  for  the  start,  the  more  so 
that  a  kind  of  wave  of  fever  was  passing  over  our  island, 
attacking  the  negroes,  who  had  not  always  taken  the  pre- 
ventive doses  of  quinine,  more  than  us.  Baudry,  what  with 
the  repair  of  the  barges,  the  buying  up  stores  in  the  market, 
and  the  repacking,  was  quite  worn  out.  It  was  really  time 
we  broke  up  our  camp. 

On  September  1 5  everything  on  board  was  once  more 
ship-shape.  Digui  had  gone  to  reconnoitre  our  route  the 
evening  before,  and  had  come  back  very  late,  looking 
anxious.  "  It  is  very  bad,"  he  said,  "  but  we  shall  get  past 
somehow."  The  coolies,  weary  as  they  all  were,  could  not 
contain  their  joy  at  the  idea  of  leaving  the  Fort,  and  poor 
old  Suleyman  Futanke,  who  was  no  doubt  afraid  of  being 
given  back  to  Amadu,  or  left  behind  as  useless,  made 
desperate  efforts  to  learn  to  row.  Happiest  of  all,  perhaps, 
was  Atchino,  the  man  from  Dahomey,  who  had  spent  the 
whole  day  before  packing  tomatoes  for  us  to  eat  on  the 
journey,  and  who  was  dreaming  all  the  time  of  the  bananas 
of  his  home. 

In  the  morning,  Abdulaye  cut  a  great  piece  ot  bark 
out  of  a  fig  tree,  and  on  the  plain  surface  beneath,  he 
engraved  with  a  chisel  the  letters  M.  H.  D.  N.  1896.  He 
then  nailed  firmly  on  to  the  same  tree  a  plank,  on  which 
was  written  in  large  characters  the  name  of  FORT 
Archinard,  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  should  come 
after  us. 

At  the  eastern  corner  of  our  tata,  looking  down-stream, 
we  dug  a  deep  hole,  in  which  we  buried  all  our  old 
iron,  with  the  nails  and  poles  we  no  longer  needed,  and 
which    would    only    have    encumbered    us.      They    may 


400  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

perhaps  be  useful  to  others  who  may  halt  on  our  island. 
We  levelled  the  soil  above  them  and  so  left  them.  We 
were  fortunate  indeed  that  no  other  cemetery  was 
needed  at  Fort  Archinard,  and  were  most  grateful  for 
the  mercy  of  Heaven,  which  had  preserved  us  all  for 
so  long. 

We  did  not  wish  the  natives  who  had  treated  us  so 
badly  to  profit  at  all  by  our  leavings,  so  we  made  a  big 
bonfire  of  our  tables,  chairs,  doors,  etc.,  in  fact  of  every- 
thing that  would  burn.  The  coolies  and  we  whites  all 
worked  with  a  will  at  making  the  pile,  and  we  set  light 
to  the  whole  at  once — camp  mattresses,  abattis,  etc.  etc. 
— with  torches  of  straw,  and  a  grand  blaze  they  made ;  the 
crackling  of  the  dry  wood  and  the  occasional  blowing 
up  of  the  powder  in  the  cartridges  could  be  heard  a 
long  way  off. 

The  coolies  meanwhile,  like  so  many  black  devils, 
danced  round  the  fire  beating  their  tam-tams,  each  per- 
forming the  figures  peculiar  to  his  tribe,  whilst  Suley- 
man  alone  looked  thoughtfully  on,  and  we  watched,  not 
without  a  certain  serreme^it  de  cceitr^  the  burning  of 
what  had  been  Fort  Archinard,  that  remote  islet  in 
the  land  of  the  negroes  where  for  five  long  months  we 
had  lived,  and  hoped,  now  buoyed  up  with  illusive  joy, 
now  depressed  with  the  knowledge  of  how  we  had  been 
deceived. 

Somehow  the  heart  gets  attached  to  these  lonely  districts, 
where  such  thrilling  emotions  have  been  lived  through, 
where  real  sufferings  and  privations  have  been  endured. 
It  is  with  them  as  with  women,  we  often  love  best  those 
who  have  given  us  the  most  pain. 

Fort  Archinard  burnt  gloriously.  When  the  smoke 
became  too   dense   and    nearly  choked  us,  we   embarked 


D  D 


402 


THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 


on  our  barges,  which  were  already  launched,  and  turned  back 
just  once  more,  like  Lot's  wife  after  leaving  Sodom,  to  gaze 
at  the  conflagration. 

We  were  off  again  with  light  hearts  full  of  hope,  to  face 
new  rapids  ! 


A   YOUNG    KURTEYE. 


NATIVES   OF  MALALI. 

CHAPTER   IX 

FROM   SAY   TO   BUSS  A 

Below  Fort  Archinard  the  river  divides  into  a  number 
of  arms  ;  the  islands  formed  by  them  as  well  as  the  banks 
of  the  river  were  deserted,  but  clothed  with  lofty  trees,  such 
as  baobabs,  palms,  and  other  tropical  growths. 

Although  the  water  was  now  pretty  well  at  its  maximum 
height,  a  good  many  scarcely-covered  rocks  impeded  its 
bed,  and  rapids  were  numerous.  Of  little  danger  to  us,  for 
we  had  seen  worse,  and  safely  passed  them,  but  bad  enough 
to  make  navigation  impossible  to  a  steamer. 

On  September  i6,  at  about  seven  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  we  passed  a  little  encampment  on  the  left  bank, 
consisting  of  one  hut,  and  some  millet  granaries.  I  imagine 
this  to  have  been  the  landing-place  for  Kibtachi,  for  at  half- 
past  five  in  the  afternoon  we  found  we  had  made  some  forty- 
four  miles  since  we  started,  so  we  must  have  passed  the  village 
without  seeing  it.  I  was  sorry  not  to  have  been  able  to 
visit  the  mines  of  bracelets  and  rings,  probably  of  cornelian, 

of  which  the  natives  had  told  me,  but  at  the  same  time  I 

403 


404  THE    EXPLORATION    OF   THE    NIGER 

did  not  altogether  regret  having  avoided  coming  into 
contact,  just  before  entering  Dendi,  with  tribes  then  at  war 
with  its  people. 

The  next  day,  the  17th,  the  river  still  wound  in  much  the 
same  way  as  on  the  i6th  ;  in  fact,  so  serpentine  was  its 
course,  that  one  of  the  coolies  cried  out  he  did  not  believe 
we  were  on  the  Niger  still,  but  that  we  had  lost  our  way. 
Numerous  islands  and  dense  vegetation,  with  very  pic- 
turesque views  here  and  there,  were  the  order  of  the  day. 
Great  blocks  of  red  sandstone  rose  in  some  places  to  a 
height  of  from  about  thirty  to  more  than  three  hundred 
feet,  and  at  every  bend  of  the  stream  some  new  or  strange 
view  met  our  eyes. 

We  longed  to  land  and  seek  repose  beneath  the  thick 
dome  of  vegetation  forming  natural  arbours,  but  there  was 
one  great  drawback  about  them,  the  immense  number  of 
insects  eager  to  suck  our  blood.  At  night  the  mosquitoes 
invaded  us  in  vast  hordes,  and  our  poor  coolies  used  to 
roll  themselves  up  in  everything  they  could  lay  hands  on, 
at  the  risk  of  suffocation.  As  for  us,  we  too  suffered 
terribly,  for  though  when  we  were  asleep  our  mosquito 
nets  did  to  some  extent  protect  us,  when  we  were  on  watch 
on  deck  we  were  nearly  bled  to  death.  In  the  day  these 
pests  left  us  pretty  well  unmolested,  but  their  place  was 
taken  by  other  persecutors,  rather  like  gadflies,  which  were 
able  to  pierce  through  our  white  clothes  with  a  sting  as 
sharp  and  nearly  as  long  as  a  needle.  I  had  suffered 
terribly  once  before  from  these  horrible  diptera  when  I 
was  on  the  Tankisso ;  in  fact  they  haunt  the  tropical  vegeta- 
tion of  many  an  African  river. 

Since  we  started  we  had  been  each  day  threatened  with 
a  tornado,  but  the  storm  had  not  broken  after  all.  On  the 
1 8th,  however,  we  came  in  for  the  tail  of  one  of  these 
meteorological   disturbances,  and   a   pretty  strong  breeze 


FROM    SAY   TO    BUSSA  405 

lasted   until   eleven   o'clock    so   that  we  were  not  able  to 
start  before  that  time. 

The  appearance  of  the  country  now  began  to  change. 
Yesterday  I  had  been  reminded  by  the  rocky  islets  and  the 
wooded  banks,  of  the  Niger  near  Bamako ;  to-day  the  stream 
flows  sluggishly  through  a  low  plain  covered  with  woods 
such  as  those  of  Massina  between  Mopti  and  Debo.  A 
few  rocks  still  occurred  to  keep  up  the  character  of  the 


ROCKY   BANKS  ABOVE   KOMPA. 


scenery,  so  to  speak,  and  about  three  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon we  were  opposite  the  site  of  the  village  of  Gumba, 
destroyed  the  year  before  by  the  Toucouleurs.  We  saw  a 
canoe  in  which  were  some  fishermen,  so  we  hailed  them  and 
they  approached  us  without  fear.  They  were  inhabitants 
of  Kompa,  they  said,  come  here  to  fish,  and  were  the  first 
human  beings  we  had  seen  since  we  left  Say.  We  had 
passed  not  only  Kibtachi  but  Bikini  without  meeting  any 
one.     The  result  of  the  constant  terrorism  caused  by  slave 


4o6  THE    EXPLORATION    OF   THE    NIGER 

raids,  is  that  all  the  villagers  remain  quietly  at  home 
cultivating  a  few  acres  only,  and  living  in  perpetual  fear 
of  being  carried  away  from  their  huts.  They  altogether 
neglect  the  natural  riches  of  the  soil  formed  by  the 
frequent  inundations,  which  leave  new  layers  of  vegetable 
mould.  The  baobabs  and  other  wild  trees  alone  profit  by 
it,  increasing  and  multiplying  continually. 

We  soon  became  capital  friends  with  the  people  of 
Kompa.  They  had  heard  of  our  stay  at  Say,  and  had 
impatiently  awaited  our  arrival.  Neither  were  they  ignorant 
of  the  fact  that  we  had  driven  the  Foutankes  from  the 
western  Sudan,  and  they  hoped  we  meant  to  do  the  same 
in  Dendi.  "  Look,"  one  of  the  fishermen  said  to  me.  "  A 
year  ago  the  whole  of  this  district  was  dotted  with  villages, 
now  there  is  not  one  left  but  Kompa,  for  the  Foutanis  have 
destroyed  everything." 

The  canoe  now  went  to  Kompa  to  announce  our  arrival, 
but  one  of  the  rowers  remained  with  us  to  act  as  our  guide. 
He  answered  to  the  name,  a  tragic  one  to  us,  of  Labezenga. 
As  we  went  along  he  gave  me  some  interesting  details 
about  the  brother  of  Serki  Kebbi,  who  was  now  in  Dendi, 
and  had  been  at  Kompa  itself  for  the  last  few  days.  He 
had  had  a  quarrel  with  his  brother,  and  came  to  take  up 
his  abode  on  the  banks  of  the  Niger,  but  in  spite  of  the 
strained  relations  between  them,  the  two  were  not  exactly 
at  war,  and  in  case  of  an  emergency  would  act  together 
against  the  common  enemy. 

At  half-past  five  we  came  in  sight  of  a  few  Fulah  huts, 
which  belonged  to  the  abandoned  village  of  Bubodji.  The 
inhabitants  had  made  common  cause  with  Amadu  and 
the  people  of  Say,  and  gone  to  join  them.  The  wood  of 
these  huts  would  do  nicely  to  cook  our  dinner  by,  so  I 
gave  the  order  for  mooring.  We  steered  for  the  mouth 
of  a  little  creek,  where  we  could  easily  land.     All  of  a 


FROM   SAY   TO   BUSSA  407 

sudden,  however,  there  was  a  shout  of  "  Digui !  what  is 
that  ? — we  are  among  the  rocks  !  "  In  fact,  all  around  us 
the  water  was  ruffled  with  those  peculiar  ripples  which  I 
used  to  call  moustaches,  and  which  we  knew  all  too  well. 
A  strong  current  was  sweeping  along,  and  we  expected 
every  moment  that  our  boats  would  strike  and  be  staved 
in.     How  was  it  that  it  did  not  happen  ?     Digui's  features 


A   FOREST   ON   THE   BANKS  OF  THE   NIGER. 

became  of  the  ashy  hue  peculiar  to  negroes  when  they  lose 
their  natural  colour ;  he,  too,  was  evidently  alarmed,  but  all 
of  a  sudden  he  burst  out  laughing.  "  Fish  !  Commandant," 
he  cried,  "  fish !  nothing  but  fish !  "  He  was  right,  the 
ripples  were  caused  by  big  fishes,  a  kind  of  pike,  native  to 
the  Niger,  swimming  against  the  current  after  their  prey. 
There  were  simply  hundreds  of  them. 

We  tried  to  avenge  ourselves  for  our  fright  by  doing  a 
little  fishing  with   petards   of  gun-cotton,  but   it  was  no 


4o8  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE    NIGER 

good,  the  water  was  too  deep,  ninety  or  a  hundred  feet  at 
least,  and  we  had  our  trouble  and  wasted  our  gun-cotton 
for  nothing. 

At  ten  o'clock  on  the  19th  we  went  up  a  little  arm  of 
the  river,  really  merely  an  inundated  channel,  which  brought 
us  near  the  village  of  Kompa,  and  at  one  o'clock  we 
received  a  visit  from  some  envoys  of  the  chief,  who  bid  us 
welcome,  and  sent  us  three  sheep.  These  men  had  not  the 
crafty  and  false  expressions  of  the  people  of  Say,  or  of  the 
Fulahs.  They  were  fine-looking  fellows,  though  rather 
wild,  wearing  turbans  adorned  with  numerous  grisgris,  or  a 
kind  of  cap,  common  on  the  Niger  as  far  as  Bussa,  and 
rather  like  those  worn  by  the  eunuchs  in  the  Bourgeois 
Gentilhomme.  I  did  not  conceal  from  them  that  we  had 
been  badly  received  at  Say,  and  told  them  that  their  enemies 
the  Foutanis  were  also  ours.  That  broke  the  ice  very 
satisfactorily,  and  I  arranged  to  go  and  see  the  chief  in  the 
afternoon. 

I  went  with  Bluzet  about  four  o'clock.  We  crossed  an 
inundated  track,  where  we  took  a  good  many  foot-baths  in 
the  bogs. 

We  found  Kompa  surrounded  by  a  wall  and  a  little 
moat,  a  kind  of  defence  we  met  with  in  all  the  villages  of 
these  parts,  as  far  as  Burgu.  Here,  however,  wall  and 
moat  alike  were  in  a  bad  state  of  preservation.  Two 
trees  served  as  drawbridge.  Inside  the  enceinte  were 
numerous  mud-huts  with  pointed  thatched  roofs,  reminding 
us  of  the  homes  of  the  Malinkes  at  Kita.  The  chief 
received  us  in  a  big  hut  with  three  entrances  forming  the 
vestibule  of  his  house. 

He  was  a  little  old  man,  half-blind,  but  with  an  expres- 
sion alike  benevolent  and  cunning.  All  the  time  he  was 
talking  to  us  he  was  plaiting  straw  for  mats,  and  so  were 
the  various  notables  surrounding  him.     All  the  men  of  the 


FROM    SAY   TO    BUSSA  409 

country  were  constantly  employed  making  these  mats,  and 
even  go  on  working  at  them  as  they  walk  along,  reminding 
us  of  the  old  women  at  home  with  their  perpetual  stock- 
ing-knitting. I  reminded  the  chief  of  the  danger  his 
village  was  in  from  the  Foutanis,  and  told  him  that  Dendi, 
Kebbi,  and  Djerma  ought  to  combine  against  the  invaders  ; 
in  fact,  even  pass  from  the  defensive  to  the  offensive.     I 


THE   BANKS  OF  THE   NIGER   NEAR   KOMPA. 

also  asked  for  guides  to  take  me  to  the  chief  of  Dendi,  to 
whom  I  wished  to  say  the  same  things,  and  to  talk  to  on 
other  matters,  and  I  begged  him  to  send  us  as  many  of 
his  people  as  he  could  to  be  present  at  our  palaver.  I  also 
wanted  to  see  the  brother  of  Serki  Kebbi. 

Everything  I  asked  was  promised  at  once,  and  we  were 
just  about  to  return  to  the  boats  when  we  were  overtaken 
by  the  rain.  I  had  had  the  presents  for  the  chief  and  his 
people  got  ready  beforehand,  and  they  were  now  brought 


4IO  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

to  us.  We  were  allowed  to  take  refuge  from  the  storm  in 
the  chiefs  private  apartments,  but  they  were  very  soon 
invaded  by  a  crowd,  the  people  vieing  with  each  other  in 
trying  to  find  something  to  give  us  pleasure  ;  one  offering  a 
chicken,  another  some  eggs,  and  so  on,  every  one  bringing 
out  some  little  present,  evidently  offered  with  the  best 
intentions. 

We,  on  our  part,  distributed  our  merchandise,  from 
which,  however,  the  old  chief  deducted  a  tithe.  It  was  a 
most  amusing  scene,  for  he  could  hardly  see  in  the  semi- 
obscurity  of  the  hut,  and  so  every  one  tried  to  slip  off  with 
his  portion  without  paying  toll,  but  he  took  up  his  position 
at  the  door,  and  all  who  went  out  were  searched  in  the 
style  of  the  Belgian  custom-house  officers.  Then  the  cun- 
ning old  fellow,  with  many  a  grimace,  persuaded  the 
owners  to  give  up  part  of  their  riches  with  an  apparently 
good  grace.  Sometimes  he  gave  back  what  he  had  taken, 
praising  up  the  beauty  and  the  value  of  the  beads  or  stuffs 
he  did  not  fancy,  but  taking  care  to  hide  behind  him  all  he 
really  wanted,  nodding  his  head  all  the  time  to  emphasize 
his  pretended  admiration  of  the  things  he  let  those  he  had 
despoiled  retain. 

We  had  on  board  with  us  a  dog  and  a  cat,  which,  after  a 
long  series  of  hostilities,  had  ended  by  becoming  the  best 
friends  in  the  world.  But  when  the  cat  had  managed  to 
run  off  with  a  bit  of  meat,  it  was  worth  something  to  see 
the  advances  made  to  him  by  his  friend  the  dog,  who  was 
bent  on  taking  it  away.  The  cat  would  begin  by  putting 
his  paw  on  the  meat,  looking  angry  and  showing  his  claws. 
The  dog  would  then  assume  a  plaintive  air,  giving  vent  to 
low  moans  of  assumed  distress,  and  advancing  gradually 
upon  the  cat,  who  was  watching  his  every  movement, 
would  at  last  completely  hypnotize  him.  This  done,  he 
would    pounce   with    a    yelp    upon    the    coveted    morsel 


FROM   SAY  TO   BUSSA  411 

and  dash  off  with  it.  He  was  just  hke  the  chief  of 
Kompa. 

The  rain  over,  we  returned  on  board,  followed  by  an 
immense  number  of  our  new  friends.  The  nephew  of  the 
chief  of  Tendu — who,  I  was  told,  was  really  paramount 
throughout  Dendi — accompanied  us,  as  well  as  the  chief  of 
the  captives  of  the  chief  of  Kompa.  The  last-named 
carried  a  gun,  the  only  one  in  the  village,  of  which  he  was 
very  proud,  but  the  hammer  having  long  since  been 
destroyed,  the  charge  had  to  be  set  fire  to  with  a  wick. 
The  owner  of  this  gun  pointed  out  the  spot  from  which, 
aided  by  Ibrahim  Galadio,  the  Toucouleurs  had  attacked 
Kompa.  He  also  showed  me  a  big  shield  of  ox-hide, 
behind  which  the  besieged  had  tried  to  take  shelter,  and 
which  was  riddled  by  the  Toucouleur  bullets.  In  spite, 
however,  of  the  superiority  of  their  weapons,  the  Foutanis 
had  been  driven  back  with  great  slaughter,  a  fact  very 
creditable  to  the  courage  of  the  people  of  Dendi.  It  will, 
in  my  opinion,  be  with  the  aid  of  this  race,  little  civilized, 
it  is  true,  but  not  yet  infected  with  the  intolerance  and 
fanaticism  of  the  Mussulmans,  that  we  shall  be  able  to 
pacify  the  valley  of  the  Niger  by  driving  away  the  Toucou- 
leurs first,  as  with  the  help  of  the  Bambaras  we  have 
restored  tranquillity  in  the  French  Sudan. 

On  the  20th  we  went  on  to  Goruberi,  where  lives  the 
brother  of  Serki  Kebbi.  We  cast  anchor  some  little  dis- 
tance from  the  village,  at  the  entrance  to  a  creek  too 
narrow  for  our  boats  to  go  up,  and  the  chief  came  to  visit  us. 

He  was  a  tall,  strong-looking  young  fellow,  and  would 
have  been  handsome  but  for  being  disfigured,  as  is  the 
horrible  custom  amongst  the  Haussas  of  Kebbi,  with 
deep  scars  from  the  temples  to  the  chin,  long  incisions 
having  been  made  in  his  face  with  a  sharp  knife  when  he 
was  a  child. 


412  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

I  at  once  began  to  talk  about  the  intentions  of  his 
brother,  and  to  preach  the  crusade  I  never  cease  to  urge 
against  the  Toucouleurs  and  the  people  of  Sokoto.  The 
answer  in  this  case  pleased  me  particularly.  His  brother, 
said  the  chief,  was  suspicious  of  him,  charging  him  with  an 
ambition  that  he  did  not  entertain.  They  had  been  obliged 
to  part,  and  he  for  his  part  had  come  to  live  at  Gorubi. 
They  were  not,  however,  enemies,  and  if  Serki  were  to  send 
for  him  to-morrow,  he  should  start  at  once  to  join  him. 
He  could  promise  me  that  he  would  repeat  all  I  said  to  his 
brother. 

We  then  talked  about  the  Monteil  expedition,  and 
dwelt  on  the  troubles  its  leader  encountered  at  Argungu 
before  he  had  succeeded  in  making  a  treaty  with  Kebbi. 
He  was  very  well  remembered,  and  Serki  must  have  been 
the  child  whose  terrible  wound  he  had  cured,  and  whose 
death  afterwards  had  been  falsely  reported  to  him. 
Another  untrue  piece  of  news  had  been  given  to  him  at 
Burnu,  for  Agungu  had  not  been  taken,  but  had  repulsed 
his  enemies  with  very  great  loss  to  them.  Namantugu 
Mame,  the  brother  of  Ibrahim,  alluded  to  by  Monteil  in 
his  narrative,  was,  however,  killed  in  the  fight.  My  visitor 
assured  me  once  more  that  Kebbi  considered  himself 
the  ally  of  the  French,  and  would  be  very  happy  to  see 
the  fellow-countrymen  of  one  who  had  left  such  pleasant 
memories  behind  him. 

I  must  pause  a  moment  here  to  dwell  on  this  important 
fact,  which  justifies  our  resistance  of  English  greed.  No 
one  could  possibly  deny  that  the  French  were  guilty  of  a 
great  piece  of  stupidity  when  they  accepted  the  convention 
of  1890.  Above  their  last  factory  on  the  Lower  Niger  the 
English  had  no  better-founded  pretensions  than  we  to  the 
protectorate  of  the  natives  peopling  a  problematical  Hin- 
terland.    But  however  that  may  be,  the  thing  is  done  now. 


FROM    SAY   TO    BUSSA  413 

Yet  once  again  our  geographical  incapacity,  our  interfer- 
ence in  African  affairs,  has  permitted  our  rivals  to  mock 
us  with  assertions  which  a  little  less  ignorance  on  our  part 
would  have  enabled  us  to  refute. 

Sir  Edward  Malet  spoke  of  the  Falls  of  Burrum ;  it 
would  have  been  quite  enough  to  open  Earth's  narrative 
to  answer  that  these  Falls  were  non-existent.  Reading 
the  narrative  of  the  German  traveller  might  also  have 
taught  us  that  when  he  passed  through,  a  descendant  of 
the  ancient  chiefs  of  the  country  was  maintaining  an  in- 
dependent position  in  Argungu,  and  the  account  of  his 
perilous  journey  from  Sokoto  to  the  banks  of  the  Niger 
would  have  shown  how  very  precarious  was  the  influence 
exercised  by  the  Emir  of  Sokoto  on  the  countries  through 
which  he  passed.  Since  1890,  when  the  Anglo-Franco 
treaty  was  signed,  that  authority  has  continued  to  decrease. 
Kebbi,  Mauri,  Djerma,  and  Dendi  would  very  soon  have 
got  the  better  of  their  oppressors  if  they  had  always  worked 
together.  However  that  may  be,  they  have  at  least  now 
regained  independence,  and  we  French  are  the  only 
European  people  who  have  made  any  conventions  with 
them.  Strickly  speaking,  the  treaty  signed  by  Monteil 
with  Kebbi  would  be  enough. 

It  is  therefore  no  longer  at  Say,  as  the  English  pretend, 
that  the  limit  of  French  influence  is  reached.  The  line 
of  demarcation,  according  to  the  spirit  as  well  as  the 
letter  of  the  treaty  of  1890,  ought  to  leave  us  the  four 
provinces  I  have  just  named.  We  are  again  about  to 
abandon  our  rights  won  at  the  price  of  so  much  trouble 
and  fatigue.  Better  still,  are  we  going  to  leave  Sokoto 
(strong  through  the  weapons  supplied  by  the  English), 
after  spreading  fire  and  destruction  everywhere,  to  reduce 
to  captivity  and  slavery  the  peaceful  but  courageous 
swarms   of  population,  capable  as  those  populations  are 


414  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

of  achieving  prosperity  under  the  paternal  authority  of  the 
French,  so  different  from  the  commercial  control  aimed 
at  by  our  rivals? 

Lord  Salisbury,  in  the  English  Parliament,  said  scoffingly 
that  they  had  left  nothing  for  the  Gallic  cock  to  do  but 
to  scratch  up  the  sand.  Let  us  at  least  reclaim  that  sand, 
and  if  we  can  find  a  little  corner  of  fertile  land  which 
the  diplomacy  of  that  time  forgot  to  abandon,  shall  we 
let  the  diplomacy  of  to-day  generously  hand  that  also 
over  to  our  neighbours?  Or  will  our  diplomatists,  eager 
to  avenge  the  insult  put  upon  us,  reply,  "  You  deceived  us 
by  false  affirmations,  we  were  stupid  enough  to  have 
confidence  enough  in  your  good  faith  without  any  pre- 
liminaries to  assure  us  of  it,  we  are  willing  to  bear  with 
the  results  of  our  own  simplicity,  but  it  has  been  a  good 
lesson,  and  we  forbid  you  to  attempt  to  give  us  another 
like  it"? 

I  remember  an  Arab  saying,  which  well  applies  to  the 
circumstances  under  discussion  :  "  If  my  enemy  deceives 
me  once,  may  God  curse  him ;  if  he  deceives  me  twice, 
may  God  curse  us  both ;  but  if  he  deceives  me  three  times, 
may  God  curse  me  only." 

After  having  chatted  for  a  few  hours  with  the  notables 
of  Goruberi,  distributed  some  presents,  and  hoisted  a  flag, 
we  went  to  pass  the  night  opposite  Karimama  or  Karma, 
a  very  strong  and  densely-populated  village  which  is  at 
war  with  the  rest  of  Dendi.  It  was  the  people  of  this 
place,  who,  by  calling  in  the  Toucouleurs,  had  caused  all 
the  misery,  which  had  lasted  more  than  a  year,  to  the  natives 
of  the  banks  of  the  Niger  in  Dendi.  The  brother  of  the 
chief  of  Tenda  advised  me  to  bombard  Karma,  and  but 
for  the  pacific  character  of  my  expedition,  which  I  was 
so  extremely  anxious  to  maintain,  I  would  willingly  have 
adopted  his  suggestion.     I  contented  myself,  however,  with 


FROM   SAY  TO   BUSSA 


415 


having  nothing  to  do  with  the  renegades,  and  we  passed 
the  night  opposite  their  village  on  the  left  bank. 

A  tornado  delayed  our  start  the  next  day  for  the  little 
village  which  is  the  landing-place  for  Tenda.  At  ten 
o'clock,  however,  we  anchored  at  the  foot  of  a  rock  covered 
with  luxuriant  vegetation,  which  hung  over  the  boats, 
forming  a  kind  of  canopy  of  verdure.  This  is  one  of  the 
most  picturesque  parts  of  the  whole  course  of  the  Niger, 


OUR   COOLIES   WASHING  THEIR   CLOTHES. 


and  the  magnificent  trees  are  tenanted  by  hundreds  of 
birds,  whilst  on  the  ground  beneath  are  great  flat  spaces, 
very  tempting  to  those  who  want  a  suitable  place  to 
encamp.  In  a  moment  the  banks  were  alive  with  joyful 
activity,  for  our  coolies  hastened  to  land,  and  very  soon 
the  thin  columns  of  smoke  from  our  fires  were  rising  up 
here  and  there,  as  preparations  were  made  for  cooking 
a  meal.  The  men  washed  their  clothes  here  amongst 
the  rocks.     A  market,  too,  was  soon  in  full  swing,  where 


4i6  THE    EXPLORATION    OF   THE    NIGER 

onions,  potatoes,  and  koiis  (large  edible  roots),  chickens 
and  eggs,  were  sold  to  us  by  native  women.  Our  guide 
and  the  nephew  of  the  chief  of  Tenda  meanwhile  went 
to  a  big  village  further  inland,  and  about  two  o'clock 
returned,  accompanied  by  the  son  of  its  chief,  who  sent 
us  word  that  he  was  too  old  to  come  and  see  us  by.  the 
bad  roads  between  his  home  and  our  camp,  but  his  son 
would  represent  him,  unless,  indeed,  we  ourselves  would 
visit  him.  We  did  not  see  why  we  should  not,  so  I  started 
with  Taburet,  Suleyman,  Tierno,  and  Mame. 

The  chief  was  quite  right  about  the  road.  It  certainly 
was  not  good,  for  it  led  us,  to  begin  with,  across  an 
inundated  plain,  where  we  were  up  to  our  knees  in  water 
for  about  a  mile.  It  was  also  oppressively  hot,  and  the 
upper  part  of  our  bodies  was  as  wet  with  perspiration  as 
our  legs  were  with  the  mud  of  the  marsh.  It  was  with 
a  sigh  of  relief  that  we  came  to  the  rising  ground  where 
the  road  was  better,  except  for  the  steep  and  rough  bit 
strewn  with  sharp  flints.  We  had  this  kind  of  thing  for 
some  four  miles,  and  Taburet,  who  was  toiling  along  beside 
me,  became  the  colour  of  a  ripe  cherry.  Was  this  colour 
a  favourite  one  in  these  parts,  I  wondered  ?  Anyhow  our 
doctor  made  a  deep  impression  on  the  heart  of  one  of 
the  beauties  of  Tenda,  who  had  come  to  see  us  in  our 
boats,  and  walked  with  us  to  the  chiefs  village.  It  was 
a  regular  case  of  love  at  first  sight,  for  she  never  took 
her  eyes  off  Taburet,  offering  him  flowers  and  pea-nuts, 
and  moving  the  flints  out  of  his  way.  It  was  a  real  idyll. 
I  felt  pretty  sure  of  the  doctor's  power  of  resisting  the 
blandishments  of  the  syren,  but  still  I  thought  it  was  as 
well  to  remind  him  of  the  negro  eunuchs,  who,  if  he  did 
lapse  from  virtue,  would  be  pretty  sure  to  sew  him  up 
in  an  ox-hide,  and  fling  him  into  what  answered  here 
to  the  Bosphorus.     We  arrived  at  Tenda  laughing  merrily, 


FROM   SAY  TO   BUSSA  417 

in  spite  of  the  condition  of  our  socks  and  boots,  which, 
soaked  through  and  swollen  as  they  were  with  the  water 
we  had  shipped  en  route,  hurt  our  feet  dreadfully. 

We  had  already  been  told  that  this  village  was  the 
capital  of  Dendi,  but  for  all  that  its  appearance  greatly 
surprised  us,  for  it  is  surrounded  with  a  tata  nearly  seven 
feet  high,  and  at  its  base  is  a  moat  no  less  than  nine  feet 
deep  by  four,  twelve  to  fifteen  feet  wide.  Throughout  the 
Sudan  I  had  never  seen  any  fortification  to  equal  it  in 
the  mass  of  material  used.  It  is  in  an  excellent  state  of 
preservation,  and  the  crest  of  the  wall  is  covered  with 
sharp  thorns,  forming  a  regular  chevaux  de  frise.  It  would 
be  very  difficult  to  take  the  place  even  with  artillery.  I 
was  delighted  to  see  so  formidable  a  stronghold  in  these 
parts,  and  should  the  Toucouleurs  who  took  Kompa  try 
their  skill  on  it,  they  will  have  their  hands  pretty  full. 

The  whole  population  came  out  to  meet  us,  and  when 
we  entered  the  village  we  found  it  had  quite  wide  streets, 
which  would  have  been  clean  but  for  the  tornado  of 
the  morning,  which  had  filled  them  with  horrible  mud. 
Splashed  with  dirt,  like  water-spaniels  on  their  return  from 
a  shooting  expedition  in  the  marshes,  we  were  introduced 
into  an  immense  circular  room,  with  a  platform  of  earth 
at  one  end,  forming  the  audience  chamber  of  the  chief. 
On  the  royal  throne,  or  rather  bench  which  represented 
it,  was  flung  one  of  those  horrible  carpets  such  as  are 
sold  in  bazaars,  representing  a  fierce-looking  tiger  springing 
forward  on  a  ground  of  a  crude  red  colour,  giving  a  note 
of  civilization,  if  of  rather  a  comic  kind,  to  the  whole 
apartment. 

The  chief  now  appeared,  and  turned  out  to  be  a  very 
old  but  still  vigorous  man.  Instead  of  a  sceptre,  he 
carried  a  cane  encased  in  copper,  and  on  the  forefinger 
of  the  right   hand   he  wore   a  ring,  the   stone   of  which 


E  E 


4i8 


THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 


consisted  of  a  silver  disk  nearly  six  inches  in  diameter, 
quite  hiding  his  hand.  He  sat  solemnly  down  upon  the 
carpet  with  the  tiger ;  and  our  beauty  of  the  road,  who, 
it  turned  out,  was  his  own  daughter,  took  her  place 
beside  him,  never  ceasing  to  cast  languishing  glances  at 
Taburet  throughout  the  interview.  I  now  spread  out  the 
presents  I  had  brought,  and  set  going  a  little  musical-box. 
The  sound  from  the  latter  caused  such  an  excitement  that 


THE   MARIGOT  OR    CREEK   OF  TENDA. 


the  crowd  outside  managed  to  get  into  the  audience  hall, 
in  spite  of  all  the  efforts  of  the  guard,  who  plied  their  whips 
vigorously,  even  on  the  shoulders  of  the  most  beautiful  of 
the  besiegers.  There  was  such  a  noise  that  I  had  to  shout 
at  the  top  of  my  voice  in  telling  the  chief  our  business  ; 
but  it  was  all  no  use,  I  might  as  well  have  tried  to  play 
the  flute  beside  a  sledge-hammer  in  full  swing. 

The  chief,  perceiving  that  conversation  was  impossible, 
made  me  a  sign  to  follow  him,  and  we  withdrew  for  our 


FROM    SAY   TO    BUSSA  419 

palaver  to  a  court-yard  surrounded  with  walls,  a  kind  of 
stable  where  his  horse  was  tied  up.  He  shut  the  door 
behind  him,  but  in  an  instant  the  walls  were  scaled,  and 
there  was  as  much  noise  and  confusion  as  there  had  been 
before. 

The  chief  then  led  me  to  a  kind  of  store-room  with  a 
very  narrow  door,  through  which  only  one  person  could 
pass  at  a  time,  and  that  almost  crawling  on  hands  and 
knees.  We  filed  in  much  as  Esquimaux  do  into  their 
snow-huts,  and  this  time  we  were  really  free  from  intruders. 

Yes,  from  intruders !  but  we  were  not  safe  from  suffoca- 
tion. The  moment  we  were  in  our  retreat,  such  a  mass 
of  women  pressed  up  to  the  door,  forming  a  kind  of  plug 
of  human  flesh,  that  we  found  ourselves  gasping  for  breath 
and  turning  purple.  We  literally  had  to  force  our  way 
out  with  our  fists  to  get  fresh  air,  and  to  drag  the  poor 
chief,  who  was  already  nearly  insensible,  out  after  us.  He 
now  declared  that  it  was  quite  impossible  to  have  a  quiet 
talk  with  me  in  his  village,  but  that  if  I  would  put  off  my 
start,  he  would  come  and  see  me  on  board  the  next  day. 

Meanwhile  two  horses  had  been  brought  out  for  us ;  we 
now  mounted  them  and  started  for  our  camp.  Unfortun- 
ately Arab  saddles  are  rather  hard.  Moreover,  mine  had 
stirrups  suitable  only  for  the  bare  feet  of  the  natives,  and 
much  too  small  for  my  shoes,  so  that  I  had  to  ride  in 
a  very  uncomfortable  position.  Then  once  Taburet's  steed 
slipped  into  a  hole,  and  the  doctor  took  an  involuntary 
bath,  a  complete  one  this  time. 

We  still  had  twenty  rifles  and  six  pistols  for  presents 
to  chiefs.  Acting  on  my  idea  of  trying  to  make  Dendi 
rise  as  one  man  against  the  Toucouleurs,  I  resolved  to 
give  all  these  weapons  to  one  person.  The  question  was, 
who  should  that  person  be  ?  I  cross-examined  our  guide, 
the  chief  of  the  captives  of  Kompa,  and  by  the  exercise 


420  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

of  a  really  marvellous  amount  of  diplomacy,  I  managed 
to  get  a  very  true  notion  of  the  exact  political  condition 
of  Dendi,  discovering  that  there  were  two  capitals,  that 
is  to  say,  two  villages  big  enough  and  densely  enough 
populated  to  dominate  all  the  others.  These  two  were 
Tenda,  which  I  had  just  seen,  and  Madecali  lower  down- 
stream on  the  right  bank. 

The  more  powerful  and  therefore  the  one  to  which  the 
term  "  capital "  could  be  more  justly  applied,  was  perhaps 
Madecali.  For  all  that,  however,  I  decided  on  choosing 
Tenda,  which  was  more  exposed  to  the  depredations  of 
the  Toucouleurs  than  Madecali,  the  latter  being  in  a  more 
sheltered  position,  and  moreover  at  war  already  with 
Burgu.  So  Tenda  got  the  weapons,  and  we  passed  the 
evening  in  getting  out  the  boxes  of  grape-shot  for  the 
machine-gun,  which,  when  taken  to  pieces,  provided  us 
both  with  powder  and  bullets  for  our  friends. 

Faithful  to  his  promise,  the  chief  came  to  see  us  the 
next  day.  He  came  down  the  rocks  overlooking  our 
camp  to  the  sound  of  his  war-drums,  made  of  calabashes 
with  skin  stretched  across  them.  His  suite  consisted  of 
some  thirty  mounted  men,  and  about  one  hundred  foot- 
soldiers.  There  was  a  certain  barbaric  splendour  about 
the  equipment  of  the  former  which  was  far  from  dis- 
pleasing, and  the  saddle  of  the  chiefs  son,  covered  with 
the  skin  of  a  panther,  was  really  both  handsome  and 
curious. 

I  had  had  strong  ropes  fixed  round  the  camp,  and 
posted  numerous  sentinels  to  keep  back  the  crowd. 
Thanks  to  these  precautions,  we  were  at  last  able  to  have 
a  talk  without  being  suffocated. 

My  aim  here,  as  it  had  been  at  Kompa  and  Goruberi, 
was  to  bring  about  a  friendly  league  between  all  the  tribes 
which  had  anything  to  dread  from  the  Toucouleurs,  and 


FROM    SAY  TO    BUSSA  421 

to  induce  those  tribes  to  give  up  the  defensive  to  assume 
the  offensive.  I  concluded  my  speech  by  giving  the  chief 
the  twenty  rifles  and  the  six  pistols,  with  powder,  bullets, 
and  matchlock-flints,  but  I  made  one  condition  before 
parting  with  them,  namely,  that  the  weapons  should  never 
be  separated  ;  they  were  to  arm  the  twenty-six  bravest 
warriors  of  Dendi,  who  were  to  go  to  defend  any  village 
threatened  by  the  common  enemy.  All  I  required  was 
promised,  the  chief  and  notables  alike  declaring  that  they 
accepted  my  conditions.  I  don't  know  whether  they  will 
keep  their  word,  anyhow  I  have  done  my  best. 

An  envoy  from  Djermakoy  now  came  to  visit  us.  He 
had  come,  he  told  us,  to  buy  a  horse  at  Tenda  to  give 
to  Serki  Kebbi  on  behalf  of  his  master,  for  in  Africa  if 
you  want  anything  you  must  never  go  to  ask  it  empty- 
handed.  He  was  to  try  and  persuade  the  chief  of 
Argungu  to  help  Djerma,  especially  Dentchendu,  against 
the  Toucouleurs.  I  gave  him  a  black  and  white  banner 
for  Serki,  with  instructions  to  tell  him  to  accede  to  the 
request  of  Djermakoy  for  the  sake  of  the  good  relations 
he  had  formerly  been  on  with  Monteil,  as  well  as  in  his 
own  interests.  He  could  not  fail  to  understand  that  if 
the  Toucouleurs  got  the  better  of  Djerma,  they  would 
attack  him  at  Kebbi  directly  afterwards. 

Baudry  tried  to  persuade  me  to  leave  him  at  Tenda. 
He  was  bent  on  preaching  a  crusade  against  the  Tou- 
couleurs, for  we  were  all  very  bitter  against  that  infamous 
tribe  of  robbers  and  traders  in  human  flesh,  who  after 
laying  waste  the  Sudan,  had,  under  pretext  of  a  holy  war, 
brought  desolation,  famine,  slavery,  and  death  to  the 
peaceful  if  somewhat  degraded  races  of  the  Niger  basin. 

I  myself  shared  the  sentiments  which  actuated  Baudry, 
and  could  I  have  been  sure  that  when  I  got  to  -the  coast 
I  should  be  allowed  to  return  with  a  sufficient  force  to 


422  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

back  up  our  friends  of  Dendi  effectually,  I  am  not  at  all 
sure  but  that  I  should  have  granted  his  request. 

Unfortunately,  however,  I  knew  only  too  well  that  in 
such  cases  as  this,  it  is  no  good  counting  on  anything, 
so  I  very  reluctantly  said  no  to  my  brave  comrade. 

If,  however,  we  had  not  been  obliged  to  stop  at  Say, 
because  the  authorities  pretended  they  were  going  to  send 
us  instructions  from  France ;  if  we  had  been  allowed  to 
winter  in  Dendi,  I  can  confidently  assert  that  the  state  of 
things  there  would  have  been  completely  changed.  But 
it  is  too  late  now,  and  regrets  are  unavailing.  All  we  can 
hope  is  that  our  example  may  be  a  lesson  to  travellers  who 
come  after  us. 

At  ten  o'clock  we  left  our  moorings  at  Tenda,  and  went 
to  anchor  opposite  a  little  Fulah  village,  situated  on  an 
island  a  short  distance  above  Gagno.  We  hoped  to  get 
some  milk  here,  for  we  had  had  none  for  several  days. 
At  first  the  Fulahs  ran  away  and  hid  themselves  in  the 
bush,  to  return  timidly  -later.  A  few  presents  reassured 
them,  and  they  became  too  friendly,  begging  with  horrible 
persistency.  Our  hope  of  getting  milk  too  was  doomed 
to  disappointment,  for  one  small  calabash  of  it,  already 
turned  sour,  was  all  the  natives  would  sell  us. 

A  terrible  tornado  from  the  south-east,  accompanied  by 
heavy  rain,  overtook  us  that  night.  The  bank  scarcely 
protected  us,  and  the  surging  water  of  the  river  made  our 
boats  roll  in  a  very  unpleasant,  even  dangerous,  manner, 
for  the  prows  of  the  barges  were  banged  against  the  shore. 
Since  we  left  Say  the  weather  had  been  very  unsettled,  and 
the  nearer  we  approached  the  equator  the  worse  it  got. 
Until  we  reached  the  coast  we  must  expect  rain  every  day 
now,  and  the  state  of  exhaustion,  even  of  sickness,  of  our 
men  can  be  imagined,  soaked  to  the  skin  every  night  as 
they  were,  in  spite  of  the  tarpaulins  we  stretched  from  one 


FROM   SAY   TO   BUSSA  423 

deck  to  the  other  in  the  hope  of  sheltering  them  from  the 
wet. 

At  eleven  o'clock  the  next  morning  we  arrived  opposite 
Madecali,  the  second  capital  of  Dendi,  to  which  a  little 
creek  gives  access,  but  some  fifty-four  yards  up  it  our 
progress  was  arrested  by  shallows.  Our  guide  went  to  the 
village,  and  soon  returned  with  the  news  that  the  chief, 
Soule  by  name,  was  coming.  First  came  a  canoe  containing 
our  envoy,  then  Soule  himself.  A  palaver  of  the  usual 
kind  ensued,  but  it  did  not  seem  likely  to  be  as  successful 
as  usual  in  Dendi,  for  the  attitude  of  the  natives  towards 
us  was  cold.  There  were  some  hundred  warriors  with 
Soule  all  armed  to  the  teeth,  a  proof  that  they  did  not  feel 
very  sure  of  our  peaceable  intentions.  Truth  to  tell,  there 
was  nothing  to  be  surprised  at  in  the  want  of  cordiality  of 
the  welcome  we  received.  To  take  the  bull  by  the  horns, 
I  myself  confessed  that  I  gave  all  the  weapons  I  had  left 
to  the  chief  of  Tenda,  and  explained  the  reasons  for  what 
I  had  done.  Soule  replied  that  in  so  doing  I  had  earned 
the  gratitude  of  all  Dendi,  but  for  all  that  it  was  evident 
and  very  natural  too,  that  he  felt  some  little  jealousy. 
Moreover,  the  people  here  did  not  hate  the  Toucouleurs, 
which  was  so  much  against  us,  for  it  was  this  hatred  which 
had  won  us  friendship  at  Tenda.  As  I  have  already  said, 
Madecali  had  not  suffered  either  directly  or  indirectly  from 
their  attacks,  and  it  was  with  Burgu  that  its  inhabitants 
were  at  war.  Moreover,  there  was  the  memory  of  the 
Tombuttu  affair,  which  took  place  a  year  before,  and  was 
thus  related  to  me. 

The  people  of  Dendi  had  been  very  far  from  pleased  at 
the  Baud-Decceur  expedition  going  to  Say,  and  when  our 
fellow-countrymen  started  to  return  to  the  coast,  by  way  of 
the  banks  of  the  river,  the  general  opinion  was  that  they 
ought  to  be  attacked.    Fortunately  the  elders  of  the  various 


424  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

communities  were  too  prudent  to  sanction  this,  and  their 
counsels  succeeded  in  curbing  the  impatience  of  the  hot- 
headed, but  at  Tombutu  the  chief  had  just  died,  and  the 
young  warriors,  deprived  of  his  advice  when  it  was  most 
needed,  did  fall  upon  the  French,  getting  the  worst  of  it. 

Though  Madecali  had  really  had  nothing  to  do  with  the 
skirmish  its  people  were  afraid  of  our  vengeance,  or  at 
least  of  a  demand  from  us  for  compensation,  and  the  first 
question  Soule  put  to  me  was,  "  Are  you  the  same  French- 
men as  came  here  last  year  ?  " 

I  had  been  promised  a  guide,  but  he  did  not  appear,  and 
our  palaver  grew  more  and  more  constrained.  I  had  begun 
by  a  distribution  of  presents,  and  Soule  had  already 
received  a  velvet  burnous,  a  red  bubu^  and  two  pieces  of 
Guinea  cloth,  to  distribute  among  the  notables  of  his  village, 
but  I  now  stopped  my  largesse,  declaring  that  the  other 
presents  were  at  the  bottom  of  the  hold :  we  must  be 
quiet  if  we  were  to  get  them  out,  and  it  was  impossible 
to  do  so  with  such  a  crowd  about  us.  They  should  be 
handed  over,  I  added,  to  an  accredited  messenger  from  the 
chief,  whom  he  would  be  good  enough  to  send  with  the 
promised  guide. 

Tableau !  Soule,  who  from  the  specimens  he  had  seen 
of  them,  knew  that  our  goods  were  just  what  he  wanted,  was 
eager  for  more  of  them.  He  replied  that  he  had  no  one 
he  could  send  for  the  rest  of  the  presents,  to  which  I 
retaliated  that  I  had  said  my  last  word. 

To  change  the  subject,  the  chief  now  asked  me  if  I  would 
not  have  my  guns  fired  off  in  his  honour,  as  I  had  in  that 
of  the  chiefs  of  Kompa,  Goruberi,  and  Tenda,  so  that  his 
wives  left  behind  in  the  village  might  hear  them.  I  saw 
no  reason  why  I  should  say  no,  so  I  had  ten  rounds  fired 
from  an  86-pounder  at  once,  which  the  old  fellow  did  not 
seem  to  like  much.     I  followed  this  up  with  a  round  from 


FROM   SAY   TO    BUSSA  425 

the  machine  gun,  and  he  evidently  wished  himself  anywhere 
else.  I  completed  the  sensation  by  showing  off  what  I 
could  do  with  my  revolver,  and  this  completely  finished 
him  off.  It  was  too  much  for  his  courage  ;  he  named  a 
man  to  act  as  guide  at  once,  and  made  a  rapid  exit  from 
the  camp. 

We  also  got  rid  of  the  crowd,  but  for  five  or  six  men, 
who,  not  being  able  to  get  a  place  in  any  canoes,  waited  in 
the  hope  that  we  would  take  them  on  with  us. 

As  I  had  promised,  so  would  I  perform.  I  had  my  guide, 
and  Soule  should  have  his  presents.  In  his  haste  to  be  gone 
he  had  forgotten  to  allude  to  them  againj  for  all  that  I  gave 
the  first  messenger  who  had  arrived,  the  avant-coiirier  of  his 
Majesty,  a  very  fine  present  to  take  to  his  master,  including 
a  little  musical-box,  the  effect  of  which  was  tremendous. 
I  then  showed  off  a  larger  one,  the  little  organ,  and  the 
phonograph.  The  last-named  produced  a  profound  sensa- 
tion, so  that  we  ended  by  getting  on  to  quite  good  terms 
with  the  natives  of  Madecali. 

Our  guide  did  not  belong  to  the  village.  He  was  a 
Kurteye  who  had  settled  near  Soul6  fifteen  years  before. 
He  told  me  that  when  first  his  fellow-countrymen  came 
from  the  West,  they  had  thought  of  stopping  near  Bussa, 
but  that  the  natives  already  occupying  the  district  had 
prevented  them,  so  then  they  went  up  beyond  Say,  where 
at  last  they  found  a  refuge. 

"  A  year  ago,"  he  add^d,  "  Madecali  had  been  at  war 
with  Gomba  and  also  with  Ilo,  a  big  village  with  an 
important  market,  which  we  should  come  to  lower  down. 
Peace  was  however  now  restored,  and  at  Ilo  I  should 
easily  find  guides  to  take  me  down  to  Bussa,  the  chief  of 
which  is  a  friend  of  Soule's.  Moreover,  he  would  himself 
look  out  for  pilots  for  me.  So  many  words,  so  many  lies, 
I  soon  discovered,  but  for  the  moment  we  took  them  all 


426 


THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 


for  Gospel  truth,  and  were  delighted  at  the  thought  of  no 
longer  having  the  prospect  of  perpetual  palavers  in  each 
village  before  we  could  get  guides. 

Our  visitor  also  bragged  a  great  deal  about  the  people 
of  Madecali,  how  they  were  not  afraid  of  the  Foutanis  ;  in 
fact,  they  were  not  afraid  of  anybody  except  perhaps  Alim 
Sar.  I  made  him  repeat  the  name,  and  found  he  meant 
the  former  Amenokal  of  the  Awellimiden,  and  I  noted  the 


fact  as  confirming  my  opinion  of  the  importance  of  that 
confederation,  that  the  name  of  the  former  chief  was 
synonymous  with  power  and  strength.  No  one  seemed  to 
know  that  he  was  dead,  and  had  been  succeeded  by 
Madidu. 

All  night  we  heard  the  tam-tam  beating  in  the  village, 
to  celebrate  our  generosity,  I  expect ;  and  early  in  the 
morning  we  started  for  Ilo,  or  rather  for  Girris,  for  Ilo  is 
inland  and  Girris  is  its  port. 

We   arrived   there   at  ten  o'clock.     We  did  not  know 


FROM   SAY  TO   BUSSA  427 

which  of  the  numerous  channels  to  take,  but  a  canoe  came 
up  in  the  nick  of  time  to  direct  us,  and  we  anchored  close 
to  the  village. 

There  were  a  good  many  boats  near  us,  larger  and 
better  than  any  we  had  hitherto  seen.  The  whole  popula- 
tion rushed  out  to  the  bank  to  receive  us,  and  gave  us  a 
hearty  welcome.  It  was  here  that  the  agent  who  collects 
custom  dues  for  the  chief  of  Girris  came  on  board  and 
greeted  us  on  behalf  of  his  master.  I  asked  for  a  guide 
to  be  sent  to  us  that  evening,  so  that  we  might  go  on 
again  early  the  next  morning.  The  chief,  however,  begged 
us  to  wait,  so  that  he  might  come  and  see  us.  We  also 
received  the  so-called  queens,  who  had  their  heads  com- 
pletely shaved,  and  their  faces  covered  with  scars,  such  as 
the  women  of  the  country  consider  ornamental.  They 
were  two  wicked-looking  little  creatures,  but  they  brought 
us  native  fruits,  including  those  called  papaws  and  his. 

Two  more  interesting  visitors  were  Hadji  Hamet  and  his 
brother ;  the  former  had  acted  as  guide  to  Baud,  who  spoke 
very  highly  of  his  fidelity  until  the  day  when,  hearing  that 
his  French  friend  was  going  to  join  Commandant  Decoeur, 
he  disappeared  without  warning.  He  was  probably  com- 
promised in  the  Timbuktu  affair  mentioned  above. 

Hadji  Hamet  and  Father  Hacquart  discovered  that  they 
were  old  acquaintances,  having  both  been  at  Tunis  at  the 
same  time. 

The  life  these  Hadjis,  or  pretended  Hadjis,  lead  is  really 
a  very  strange  one.  They  are  Arabs,  often,  however,  of 
mixed  blood,  who  traverse  vast  distances  in  Africa,  selling 
amulets  and  insinuating  themselves  into  the  favour  of  the 
chiefs,  never  leaving  a  village  till  some  specially  heinous 
offence  has  roused  the  wrath  of  the  natives  against  them. 

They  succeed  everywhere  in  virtue  of  their  own  superior 
intelligence  and  the  superstitious  dread   they   inspire,  in 


428  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

making  a  position  for  themselves,  especially  in  heathen 
districts.  It  is  necessary  for  travellers  to  be  on  their  guard 
against  them,  the  more  so  that  as  a  rule  they  are  very 
taking  to  Europeans,  because  of  the  sympathy  they  always 
express  with  their  aims.  In  is,  in  fact,  a  pleasure  to  ex- 
change ideas  with  them,  and  they  converse  in  an  intelligent 
manner,  such  as  is  quite  impossible  to  negroes.  They 
have  also  seen  and  heard  so  much  in  their  travels  that  the 
information  they  are  able  to  give  is  very  valuable,  but  they 
are  regular  rascals  for  all  that,  ready  to  betray  all  who 
confide  in  them.  In  spite  of  all  his  protestations  of  friend- 
ship, I  am  convinced  that  Hadji  Hamet  had  a  good  deal  to 
do  with  the  change  of  tone  towards  us  which  took  place  at 
Ilo  a  few  days  later,  the  results  of  which  I  shall  relate 
below. 

Here  too  we  made  the  acquaintance  of  a  certain  Issa, 
who  had  acted  as  guide  to  Dr.  Grunner  and  a  German 
expedition  as  far  as  Gando  the  previous  year. 

Issa  was  a  good,  honest  fellow,  still  young,  with  a  frank, 
intelligent  expression  of  countenance.  At  sunset  I  went 
with  him  to  the  village,  which  consisted  chiefly  of  huts 
with  walls  of  beaten  earth  and  thatched  roofs. 

Issa's  own  home  was  almost  European  in  size  and 
style.  It  had  a  regular  gabled  roof,  the  first  I  had  seen 
properly  constructed,  and  there  were  four  good  rooms  inside. 
In  that  which  served  as  an  entrance-hall,  Issa  showed  me 
a  folding-table  and  a  canteen  marked  S,  both  presents  from 
the  German  expedition. 

The  information  he  gave  me  without  any  pressing  about 
that  expedition  was  of  the  highest  importance,  for,  accord- 
ing to  him,  all  that  Dr.  Grunner  went  to  Gando  for  was  to 
ask  the  Emir  to  direct  the  merchants  of  caravans  who  left 
districts  under  his  command  to  go  to  Togoland.  It  will 
readily  be  seen  how  very  different  the  purely  commercial 


FROM   SAY   TO    BUSSA  429 

aim  of  this  expedition  was  to  that  attributed  to  it,  the 
establishment  of  a  protectorate  in  Gando. 

The  people  of  Girris  have  poHte  and  gentle  manners. 
Neither  the  men,  the  women,  nor  the  children  showed  any 
of  the  unreasonable  terror  of  white  men  usual  amongst 
negroes,  and  so  painful  to  Europeans,  accustomed  to  coun- 
tries where  there  is  nothing  of  the  kind. 

At  daybreak  the  next  morning  the  children  of  the  place 
came  with  the  little  spades  used  in  the  district,  to  clear  a 
great  space  of  grass  near  to  our  anchorage,  in  preparation 
for  the  chiefs  visit  to  us.  On  our  side  we  got  ready  for 
his  reception  by  pitching  the  big  tent  and  hoisting  our  flag 
beside  it.  I  also  made  the  coolies  rig  themselves  out  in 
their  best  clothes. 

At  eight  o'clock  a  deafening  noise  announced  the  ap- 
proach of  the  chief,  and  the  procession  very  soon  came  in 
sight.  It  was  headed  by  a  number  of  children  armed  with 
bows  and  arrows,  followed  by  mounted  men  with  tambour- 
ines, which  the  riders  struck  perpetually  with  little  bent 
rods. 

At  last  came  his  Majesty  himself,  surrounded  by  a 
number  of  his  wives,  horrible-looking  women,  whose  style 
I  have  already  described,  whilst  beside  him  was  his  prime 
minister,  if  I  may  use  such  an  expression,  or,  to  give  the 
Haussa  term,  his  ghaladima,  whose  chief  occupation  in  the 
palace  was  to  shampoo  his  master's  feet. 

Behind  came  crowds  of  men  putting  out  all  the  strength 
of  their  lungs  as  they  blew  large  horns,  not  unlike  those 
used  in  Europe  by  the  drivers  of  stage  coaches,  making  a 
perfectly  deafening  din.  These  horns  or  trumpets,  which 
must  have  been  much  the  same  as  those  that  brought  down 
the  walls  of  Jericho,  had  caused  the  awful  noise  we  had 
been  disturbed  by  in  the  early  morning. 

The  orchestra  was  completed  by  a  number  of  hetero- 


430  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

geneous  instruments,  the  description  of  which  would  require  a 
whole  chapter,  and  the  row  they  made  really  included,  I  do 
believe,  every  possible  sound  which  could  be  produced  by 
beating,  clapping,  and  squeezing. 

The  chief  wore  a  buhc  with  silver  stripes,  of  a  pretty 
good  material,  a  present,  I  was  told,  from  the  Germans. 
His  breeches  were  made  of  strips  of  velvet  of  different 
colours ;  he  had  on  the  red  boots  I  had  sent  to  him  the 
evening  before,  and  round  a  somewhat  greasy  fez  was 
twisted  a  coral-coloured  silk  turban.  Lastly,  a  tricolour 
sash  worn  across  the  shoulders  over  the  half-open  bubu 
resembled  the  grand  cordon  of  some  order,  or  the  scarf 
of  a  deputy,  showing  up  well  against  the  black  skin  of 
his  Majesty's  chest. 

What  an  ugly,  stunted,  little  fellow  he  was  with  it  all ! 
He  reminded  me  of  a  monkey,  or  of  some  freak  of  nature 
such  as  is  exhibited  in  circuses  and  at  fairs.  His  intelli- 
gence too  was  probably  on  a  par  with  theirs. 

Fifty  mounted  men  on  fine  horses  with  handsome 
saddles  formed  the  chiefs  escort.  When  they  arrived  they 
all  leaped  with  more  or  less  agility  to  the  ground.  The 
chief  took  his  place  on  the  throne,  that  is  to  say,  on  Father 
Hacquart's  folding-chair  ;  his  ghaladima  crouched  at  his 
feet  on  one  side,  and  Hadji  Hamet  on  the  other.  We  took 
up  our  position  on  benches  opposite  to  our  visitor,  and  the 
salutations  began.  With  the  combined  aid  of  the  Father 
and  Hadji  Hamet  we  exchanged  many  flowery  compli- 
ments. We  had  not  had  a  regular  interpreter  with  us 
since  we  left  Tenda,  and  now  we  conversed  partly  in 
Burgu  and  partly  in  Haussa,  for  the  Fulah  spoken  by  Suley- 
man  and  the  Songhay  of  Mame  were  rarely  understood  in 
these  parts.  I  slipped  in  a  request  for  a  guide,  and  was 
told  one  would  be  with  me  that  very  evening.  Noting  the 
magnificence  displayed  by  the  chief  of  Ilo,  I  thought  I  had 


FROM    SAY   TO    BUSSA 


431 


better  give  him  and  his  suite  handsomer  presents  than 
those  I  had  originally  intended  for  him.  I  was  extremely- 
anxious  to  get  a  guide  to  take  us  to  Bussa,  for  the  river  was 
now  at  its  height,  and  there  was  not  a  moment  to  lose  if 
we  wished  to  pass  the  rapids  under  the  most  favourable 
conditions.  Moreover,  I  had  been  told  that  the  chiefs 
of  Ilo  and  Bussa  were  relations,  so  that  I  hoped  the  pilots 


GIRRIS  CANOES. 


given  to  me  by  the  first  would  aid  me  in  getting  guides 
more  easily  from  the  latter. 

Whilst  I  was  holding  forth  to  this  effect  a  terrible  noise 
began  again,  for  at  a  sign  from  the  chief  the  twelve  trum- 
peters approached  him,  and  with  all  their  strength  blew  a 
tremendous  blast  almost  into  his  ears,  the  instruments  all 
but  touching  him.  This,  it  appeared,  was  done  to  drive 
away  evil  spirits.  The  very  angel  of  the  last  judgment 
would    not   be   able   to   make   himself  heard    if   he    en- 


432  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

deavoured    to    sound    his    trump    here.      Adieu    to    all 
discussion  now ! 

The  old  chimpanzee,  for  such  he  really  seemed,  did 
however  manage,  through  the  intermediary  of  Hadji 
Hamet,  to  let  us  know  that  he  was  thirsty.  A  glass  of 
eau  sua-ee  with  an  extra  supply  of  sugar  only  drew  from  him 
a  grimace  of  dissatisfaction.  He  wanted  something  very 
different,  and  Hadji  Hamet  put  out  all  his  eloquence  to 
make  Father  Hacquart  understand  what  sort  of  drink  it 
was  the  chief  was  craving  for.  The  Father  did  not  at  first 
understand,  but  presently  clapping  his  hand  on  his  fore- 
head, he  exclaimed,  "  He  wants  some  champagne  !  Im- 
possible !  he  cannot  know  what  it  is,  but  he  is  certainly 
asking  for  a  drink  that  goes  pop  and  fizzes.  It  is  very 
evident  that  he  does  mean  champagne  !  " 

So  we  actually  drank  champagne  in  N.  Lat.  ii°  39',  with 
a  negro  potentate  resembling  a  monkey.  Fortunately  for 
our  credit  we  had  brought  with  us,  not  as  a  beverage,  but 
as  a  medicine,  two  cases  of  wine  manufactured  at  Rheims. 
As  none  of  us  had  had  the  bilious  attacks  which  this  wine 
was  intended  to  correct,  the  cases  were  still  pretty  well 
intact.  We  reflected  that  we  were  now  near  our  journey's 
end,  and  therefore  decided  to  spare  from  our  pharmacy  a 
few  bottles  of  the  precious  liquid,  which  we  hoped  would 
not  be  found  inferior  to  that  of  our  predecessors,  whoever 
they  might  be,  who  had  given  his  Majesty  of  Ilo  a  taste 
for  the  wine  which  goes  pop  ! 

The  arrival  of  our  flasks  of  champagne  was  the  signal 
for  a  regular  carousal.  From  every  side  large  jars  of 
millet  beer  were  brought  by  the  assembled  crowds,  and  all 
present  began  plunging  little  calabashes,  which  served  as 
drinking  cups,  into  them.  In  half-an-hour  the  chief,  his 
court,  and  all  the  men  and  women  who  had  flocked  together, 
even  the  children,  were  tipsy. 


FROM    SAY   TO    BUSSA  433 

Needless  to  add  that  we  had  to  put  off  all  hope  of 
making  serious  arrangements  until  later.  When  the  time 
came  to  go,  it  was  all  his  people  could  do  to  get  the  chief 
on  to  his  steed.  His  suite  were  all  probably  as  unsteady 
as  himself.  At  last  by  hook  or  by  crook  our  visitors 
decided  to  take  their  leave,  and  reeled  away,  many  of  the 
women  often  stumbling  or  falling,  not  making  quite  as 
much  noise  as  on  their  arrival  in  the  morning,  for  the 
trumpeters  were  now  unable  to  blow  a  blast  on  their 
instruments. 

We  waited  all  the  afternoon  in  vain  for  the  arrival  of 
the  guide.  At  last,  about  half-past  five,  an  envoy  from  the 
chief  appeared.  He  informed  us  that  it  was  five  years 
since  the  latter  had  sent  a  present  to  his  relation  at  Bussa. 
It  would  not  therefore  be  fitting  for  him  to  have  us  guided 
into  that  relative's  district  without  supporting  the  demand 
for  our  reception  with  the  customary  gift.  He  could  not 
send  that  gift,  so  his  guide  was  to  take  us  to  Gomba  only. 

Was  I  going  to  be  cheated  by  the  old  rogue  after  all  ? 
Should  we  have  to  go  on  like  this  from  village  to  village 
till  we  reached  Bussa,  to  the  detriment  not  only  of  our 
merchandise,  which  would  quickly  be  exhausted  at  this  rate, 
but  to  the  great  loss  of  time,  which  was  even  more  valuable  ? 
If  the  river  fell  suddenly — and  I  know  that  changes  of  level 
are  very  sudden  in  these  parts — we  might  be  stopped  and 
compelled  to  remain  stationary  again  above  Bussa. 

I  sent  the  messenger  back  in  double  quick  time,  charging 
him  to  tell  his  master  I  would  have  all  or  nothing.  He 
must  either  keep  the  promise  he  had  made  in  the  morning, 
or  I  should  do  without  him  altogether  and  start  at  daybreak 
alone,  trusting  to  the  aid  of  the  God  who  had  brought  us 
thus  far  and  was  not  likely  to  abandon  us  by  the  way 
now. 

Many  of  those  standing  by  looked  approval  of  the  tone 

F  F 


434  THE   EXPLORATION   OF  THE   NIGER 

I  had    adopted,  including  Issa,  the    Kurteye   guide   from 
Madecali,  and  the  agent  himself. 

Then,  seeing  that  half  the  people  were  intoxicated,  not 
knowing  what  was  at  the  bottom  of  the  delays,  with  the 
very  evident  feeling  against  us,  and  to  avoid  all  risk  of  a 
night  attack,  I  had  the  barges  moved  some  hundred  yards  off 
into  the  submerged  grass,  as  I  used  to  do  in  the  old  days 
amongst  the  Tuaregs.  I  ordered  a  strict  watch  to  be  kept, 
and  we  settled  down  to  pass  the  night  as  best  we  could. 

This  simple  manoeuvre,  which  was  carried  out  with  very 
little  noise,  had  the  effect  of  filling  the  soddened  brains  of 
the  natives  with  terror. 

First  came  a  messenger  to  tell  me  that  the  agent  himself 
would  act  as  guide  to  Bussa,  then  about  midnight  I  was 
awoke  by  a  great  noise.  What  could  it  mean  ?  It  was 
the  chief  himself,  who,  in  a  great  state  of  alarm,  had 
hastened  back  from  Ilo  on  purpose  to  see  me.  No  doubt, 
when  the  vapours  of  the  champagne  had  been  dissipated, 
he  had  been  told  of  my  vexation,  and  trembling  with  fear 
lest  my  move  should  mean  a.  declaration  of  war,  he  had 
hastened  to  me,  this  time  without  any  attendants,  to 
endeavour  to  pacify  me.  I  sent  Mame,  and  the  poor  chief 
asked  him  to  beg,  pray,  and  entreat  me  on  his  behalf  to 
remain  until  the  middle  of  the  next  day.  He  would  then 
be  able  to  get  together  a  present  for  his  relation  at  Bussa. 
If  only  I  would  wait  he  would  be  profoundly  and  eternally 
grateful. 

To  add  to  the  confusion  and  misery  of  the  suppliant,  the 
rain  now  began  to  pour  down.  I  assured  my  visitor  that  it 
was  quite  usual  for  us  to  move,  in  case  of  storms,  and  that 
I  had  had  the  barges  moved  away  from  the  banks  lest  the 
wind  should  drive  them  against  them.  In  fact,  I  said  we 
did  this  pretty  well  every  night,  but  it  was  just  all  I  could 
do  to  reassure  the  chief  and  his  people.     I  could  not  help 


FROM   SAY   TO   BUSSA  435 

thinking  that  the  scene  was  very  like  what  one  sees  in  the 
lunatic  asylum  at  Charenton,  and  instead  of  a  naval 
officer,  I  ought  to  have  chosen  a  doctor  accustomed  to 
treat  the  insane,  as  ambassador  to  Ilo.  He  would  certainly 
have  looked  upon  the  chief  as  a  dipsomaniac  whose  case 
was  rather  an  uncommon  one.  I  was  the  less  interested, 
however,  as  it  would  be  my  turn  to  keep  watch  from  two 
to  five  o'clock,  and  I  wanted  to  go  to  my  cabin  and  have  a 
sleep,  especially  as  the  rain  was  heavy  and  cold,  penetrating 
to  the  very  bones.  In  the  end  it  was  settled  that  I  was  to 
have  the  guide  the  very  first  thing  the  next  morning. 
Would  the  promise  be  kept  this  time  ? 

No !  not  even  now.  It  was  evidently  decreed  that  we 
were  not  to  have  a  guide.  In  the  morning  a  man  appeared 
in  a  canoe  who  pretended  that  he  was  to  go  with  us,  and 
my  hopes  revived.  But  he  had  to  wait  for  a  companion 
who  did  not  turn  up,  and  presently  he  disappeared  himself. 
At  five  o'clock,  for  the  tenth  and  last  time,  I  demanded  the 
fulfilment  of  the  promise  made  to  me,  our  Kurteye  going 
ashore  with  my  message.  "  Listen  to  me,"  he  said  ;  "  I  am 
sick  of  talking  to  these  drunkards,  I  declare  I  can  do 
absolutely  nothing  with  them  ;  and  I  want  you  to  let  me 
go."  I  gave  him  leave,  and  we  all  set  to  work  to  drive  the 
people  of  Girris  off  the  boats,  for  they  were  doing  a  brisk 
trade  in  provisions,  as  if  nothing  unusual  was  going  on  and 
were  in  no  hurry  to  go. 

"  Push  off ! "  I  cried  at  last,  this  time  in  earnest,  and  my 
only  regret  was  that  I  had  yielded  the  evening  before.  The 
first  thing  in  the  morning  we  resumed  our  voyage  without 
a  guide.  What  could  be  the  reason  for  the  way  we  were 
treated  ?  Did  the  natives  want  to  make  us  remain  as  long 
as  possible  for  the  sake  of  our  presents,  and  of  the  purchases 
we  made  ?  Or  was  it  the  two  Mussulmans,  especially  Hadji 
Hamet,  who  seems  to  have  been  guilty  of  double  dealing  with 


436  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

the  Decoeur  expedition,  to  whom  we  owed  the  change  which 
had  come  over  the  sentiments  of  the  natives  towards  us  ? 

Later,  I  learnt  that  one  of  my  predecessors  had  had  a 
quarrel  with  the  natives  of  Ilo,  about  an  ox  which  had 
been  promised  to  him,  and  which,  like  my  guide,  never 
turned  up.  Perhaps  he  had  not  been  as  patient  as  he 
might  have  been  under  the  circumstances,  if  he  had 
remembered  the  interests  of  those  to  come  after  him. 

So  we  started  after  all  without  a  pilot  and  passed  many 
villages,  the  names  of  which  I  do  not  know.  The 
inundated  banks  were  flat  and  grass-grown,  with  clumps 
of  trees  here  and  there.  We  cast  anchor  in  the  evening  off 
the  left  bank,  opposite  the  Fulah  village  of  Raha,  a 
dependency  of  Gomba. 

As  we  were  at  dinner  we  were  hailed  from  a  canoe  by 
an  old  Fulah,  answering  to  the  name  of  Amadu,  who 
offered  us  five  chickens  as  a  present  We  circumvented  him 
cleverly.  He  said  he  knew  the  river  well  down  to  Bussa, 
in  fact  as  far  as  Iggu,  where  he  had  been.  I  proposed  that 
he  should  act  as  our  guide  and  introduce  us  to  the  chief  of 
Bussa,  who  he  said  was  a  great  friend  of  his.  To  my 
delight  he  actually  agreed  ! 

During  the  whole  of  the  28th  we  went  rapidly  down 
the  wide  river,  here  unencumbered  with  obstacles,  as  fast 
as  ever  we  could  row. 

About  nine  o'clock  we  passed  Gomba,  inhabited  by 
Fulahs,  and  the  capital  of  the  district.  Our  guide  Amadu 
evidently  thought  we  should  stop  there  to  see  the  chief, 
and  showed  great  surprise  at  our  pressing  on  without  a 
halt.  To  his  discreet  suggestions  I  turned  a  deaf  ear,  and 
our  interpreter  seemed  suddenly  to  have  forgotten  all  the 
Fulah  language  he  knew.  In  the  end  our  guide  resigned 
himself  to  the  inevitable. 

We  had  to  make  haste,  for,  reflecting  on  the  causes  of 


FROM    SAY   TO    BUSSA  437 

the  check  we  had  received  at  Ilo,  I  was  led  to  think  that 
the  English  might  have  had  something  to  do  with  it,  or,  at 
least,  that  people  who  had  been  amongst  them — for  the 
English  themselves  have  no  political  influence  in  these 
parts — had  had  intelligence  enough  to  understand  and 
look  after  their  interests.     In  the  suite  of  the  chief  there 


OUR    GLIDK   A.MADU. 


was  a  native  of  Bidda,  who  asked  me  to  let  him  accompany 
me  back  to  his  native  place,  but  he  too  disappeared.  In 
any  case,  however,  as  Amadu  told  me,  the  news  of  our 
stay  at  Say  had  not  yet  reached  Gomba,  still  less  Bussa, 
we  might  still,  by  pushing  on  rapidly,  circumvent  the  plans 
of  those  who  were  anxious  to  make  mischief.  Forward 
then  as  rapidly  as  possible  ! 

We   soon   passed   the   mouth   of  the  Ngubi-Sokoto,  of 


438  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

anything  but  imposing  appearance,  but,  as  we  were  told, 
navigable  at  high  water  for  canoes  until  nearly  up  to  the 
village  from  which  it  takes  its  name.  In  the  evening  we 
had  made  more  than  32  miles,  the  longest  distance 
achieved  yet  by  the  expedition  in  one  day.  We  anchored 
a  little  beyond  Lanfaku. 

Here  we  were  visited  by  two  parties  of  fishermen,  who 
came  to  us  in  canoes  from  the  villages,  such  as  are  scattered 
about  near  all  important  Fulah  centres  of  population. 
The  young  men  had  their  heads  shaved,  but  for  a  kind  of 
tuft  of  hair  left  on  the  middle  of  the  upper  part  of  the  head, 
which  was  really  not  at  all  unbecoming.  Amadu  told  me 
that  the  Grunner  expedition  had  been  attacked  on  its 
return  from  Gando  at  the  village  of  Gesero,  which  was  at 
war  with  Gando.  The  inhabitants  had  tried  to  stop  the 
guides  of  the  Germans  by  firing  at  them.  Grunner  had 
therefore  burnt  their  village. 

At  ten  o'clock  we  were  overtaken  by  a  tornado.  We 
were  back  again  in  the  winter  in  fact,  and  every  night 
there  was  a  storm,  or  at  least  a  downpour  of  rain. 

On  the  29th  we  continued  our  forced  march,  passing 
several  fine  villages  surrounded  by  tatas.  Kundji  seemed 
a  very  big,  strong  place. 

At  about  eleven  o'clock  we  passed  three  rocks  which 
probably  form  part  of  a  bar  across  the  river  when  the 
water  is  low,  marking  the  beginning  of  the  difficult  and 
broken  course  below.  At  four  o'clock  we  anchored 
opposite  Tchakatchi,  on  an  island  at  the  foot  of  a  group 
of  magnificent  baobabs.  At  the  end  of  this  island  is  a 
great  mass  of  flint,  and  the  banks  were  strewn  with  the  big 
rocks  of  polished  granite  we  knew  so  well.  We  were  back 
again  amongst  the  rapids,  and  had  once  more  to  encounter 
difficulties  such  as  we  had  conquered  at  Ayoru  and  Kendadji. 
The   whole  village   turned    out  to  see  us,  and  the  chief 


FROM    SAY   TO    BUSSA  439 

himself  offered  to  act  as  pilot.  I  accepted  his  suggestion, 
for  our  old  Amadu  had  rather  exaggerated  his  hydro- 
graphical  knowledge.  The  only  garment  of  most  of  the 
men  of  the  village  was  a  little  leather  apron  worn  behind, 
but  some  few  wore  drawers  made  of  blue  Haussa  cotton. 
The  faces  of  the  women  w^ere  scarred  in  the  same  way  as 
those  of  their  sisters  of  Kebbi,  and  they  wore  as  orna- 
ments in  the  lobes  of  the  ear,  little  pieces  of  white  stick 
about  a  quarter  of  an  inch  in  diameter  by  seven  inches 
long. 

At  seven  o'clock  the  next  day  we  started,  preceded  by 
the  chief  of  Tchakatchi,  who  steered  a  tiny  little  canoe  with 
a  paddle  curiously  shaped  and  carved.  The  river  was  very 
much  what  we  had  expected  it  would  be  the  evening 
before,  the  rocks  forming  a  regular  archipelago  of  islets, 
whilst  rapids  were  also  numerous.  Fortunately  this  state 
of  things  did  not  last  long,  and  presently  we  came  to  an 
almost  calm  reach,  which  brought  us  to  Gilua,  the  capital 
of  Yauri,  where  we  noted  one  very  large  hut,  the  residence 
of  the  chief  of  the  village. 

I  was  in  despair  at  having  to  travel  like  a  bale  of  goods, 
without  being  able  to  have  any  intercourse  with  the  people 
whose  country  we  were  passing  through.  But  what  could 
we  do  ?  Since  we  left  Say  we  had  had  no  power  to  treat 
with  the  natives,  our  interpreters  were  scarcely  any  good, 
whilst  before  us  we  had  two  great  obstacles,  Bussa  and  the 
English. 

According  to  the  most  recent  information  collected,  it  was 
at  Gilua  and  not  at  Bussa  that  Mungo  Park  died.  Here 
then  we  had  reached  the  limit  of  the  path  he  trod  one 
hundred  years  ago,  and  I  remembered  what  Davoust  had 
said  to  me :  "  Mungo  Park  has  become  immortal  through 
merely  having  tried  to  do  what  we  shall  now  endeavour 
to  accomplish." 


440  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE    NIGER 

I  confess  in  all  humility  that  since  my  return  to  France 
I  have  had  to  change  my  opinion  on  that  point. 

On  the  left  and  right  of  the  river  there  were  two 
mountains  remarkable  for  their  shape  and  their  relative 
dimensions.  I  tried  to  find  out  their  names,  but  was  told 
that  they  had  none  in  particular.  To  do  honour  to  our 
comrades  who  had  died  under  such  melancholy  circum- 
stances, I  baptized  them  Mount  Davoust  and  Mount  De- 
lagarde,  the  latter  having  been  the  name  of  a  naval 
officer  who  died  without  reaching  the  Niger. 

I  trust  that  these  names  will  be  considered  of  good  omen 
by  geographical  critics  in  France,  and  that  it  will  be 
admitted  that  I  had  every  right  to  choose  them.  Have 
not  the  English  named  all  the  peaks  of  the  chain  on  the 
banks  of  the  river  below  Bussa  after  their  great  men? 
Mount  Davoust  will  look  quite  as  well  in  our  atlases  as 
Mount  Wellington  does  in  theirs. 

We  pushed  on  on  the  right  between  the  villages  of 
Ikum  and  Rupia,  and  after  passing  a  little  rapid  we 
anchored  opposite  a  big  tree,  beneath  which  a  market  was 
being  held — an  important  one  I  was  told  by  the  people 
of  Rupia.  The  chief  of  Tchakatchi  had  told  us  that  we 
should  meet  his  brother  there,  who  would  pilot  us  further, 
but  he  had  left  that  same  morning.  As  usual  the  people 
began  to  shilly-shally  with  us,  and  some  men  from  Igga, 
whom  we  identified  by  their  white  turbans  embroidered 
with  green,  sold  to  them  by  the  Royal  Niger  Company, 
interposed  in  the  conversation,  but  not  in  our  favour. 

"  Off  again  !  "  was  the  word  ;  we  would  push  on  and  still 
push  on,  alone  and  without  a  pilot  or  help  of  any  kind, 
but  we  would  not  be  trifled  with. 

The  people  of  Rupia  are  many  of  them  Kambaris,  a  tribe 
alluded  to  by  Richard  Lander.  Their  women  when  young 
go  about  quite  naked,  and  have  the  head  shaved,  but  for  a 


FROM    SAY   TO    BUSSA 


441 


narrow  tuft  of  hair  left  on  the  top.  They  have  the  peculiar 
custom  of  dyeing  their  legs  up  to  above  the  knee  with 
rocou,  or  red  dye,  which  gives  them  the  appearance  at  a 
distance  of  wearing  nothing  but  light  red  stockings. 

This  was  the  first  occasion  on  which  I  had  seen  people 
in  a  state  of  nudity  in  the  Sudan,  and  this  is  the  more 
remarkable  as  there  are  plenty  of  stuffs  to  be  had  cheap  at 
Rupia. 


DJIDJIMA. 


Noticing  my  astonishment,  one  of  the  beauties  of  the 
place  made  the  following  naive  remark  to  me,  which  I 
thought  was  really  rather  sensible  :  "  Why  should  we  wear 
clothes  }  Are  we  so  badly  made  that  we  need  hide  our- 
selves }  All  in  good  time,  when  we  are  old  like  our 
mothers,  we  will  make  up  for  the  loss  of  our  physical 
advantages  by  well-made  clothes,  but  not  till  then." 

Many  are  the  women  on  this  earth  of  ours  who  could 
not  say  as  much  ! 

A  little  mollified  by  what  my  young  friend  said,  I  still 


442  THE   EXPLORATION    OF    THE    NIGER 

felt  perfectly  furious  at  the  sullen  hostility  and  evident 
prejudice  against  us  we  now  constantly  met  with,  which 
delayed  our  journey  in  a  manner  so  dangerous.  Rightly 
or  wrongly,  I  saw  the  hand  of  the  English  or  of  their 
agents  in  it  all.  Fortunately,  however,  the  river  is  easy 
of  navigation  as  far  as  Djidjima,  a  village  picturesquely 
situated  on  an  island,  opposite  to  which  we  anchored  at 
four  o'clock. 

In  the  evening  we  went  to  the  village,  and  I  asked  for  a 
guide  for  the  next  day,  without  much  hope  of  getting  one. 
I  tried  to  win  the  people  over  to  my  side  by  distributing  a 
great  many  little  presents.  We  were  invited  to  be  present 
at  a  tam-tam,  at  which  three  dancers  performed,  wearing 
leggings  from  which  were  suspended  little  bits  of  iron 
resembling  castanets,  that  made  a  deafening  noise  as  they 
struck  against  each  other.  The  dancers,  moreover,  were 
very  clumsy  in  their  attitudes. 

No  guide  the  next  morning,  but  more  men  from  Igga 
to  stare  at  us.  The  accounts  that  Amadu  gives  us  of 
the  difficulties  of  navigation  before  us  are  heartrending, 
and  as  a  matter  of  fact  a  little  further  down,  the  river 
began  to  divide  again  into  a  great  many  arms.  We 
therefore  anchored,  and  Digui  went  on  in  a  canoe  to 
reconnoitre. 

Whilst  he  was  away  exploring  we  saw  some  eighty  or 
a  hundred  canoes  going  up  an  arm  on  our  right,  the  tam- 
tam beating  ceaselessly.  On  inquiry  we  were  told  that  it 
was  only  a  water  convoy  on  the  way  to  Rupia,  where  a 
very  big  market  was  about  to  be  held.  All  the  way  along 
the  canoes  stop  to  take  up  traders  and  their  goods,  very 
much  as  the  small  steamers  do  on  the  Seine,  or  the 
omnibuses  in  the  streets  of  Paris.  A  canoe  presently 
separated  from  the  rest  and  came  towards  us,  its  occupants 
saying  very  amiably  that  seeing  we  had  stopped,  they  had 


FROM    SAY   TO    BUSSA 


443 


come  to  ascertain  whether  we  were  in  any  difficulty,  and 
to  offer  to  guide  us. 

There  is  no  doubt  there  is  a  good  God  for  honest  folk,  I 
very  nearly  added,  and  against  the  English.  Be  it  re- 
marked, for  the  reader  to  draw  his  own  moral,  that  every- 
where the  inhabitants  of  the  little  villages,  in  a  word  the 
poor,   helped   us.     The   perpetual   difficulties   we    had   to 


THE   NIGER   BELOW   RUPIxV. 


contend  with  in  this  part  of  our  journey  only  arose  in  the 
big  centres. 

Delighted  at  this  chance  of  going  on,  we  started,  our 
guides  being  anything  but  de  trop,  passing  several  danger- 
ous rapids  and  arriving  safely  at  Fogue,  where  the  river 
became  once  more  calm. 

On  October  2  we  had  a  hard  day,  but  it  was  the  best 
before  we  got  to  Bussa.  Near  Waro  we  had  twice  to  go 
on  in  single  file.   The  force  of  the  current  was  now  immense, 


444  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE    NIGER 

seven  miles  an  hour  at  least.  Once  more  we  felt  as  if  we 
were  dashing  over  cataracts,  a  painful  sensation  we  were 
all  too  familiar  with.  Our  guide  had  met  a  friend,  who 
also  to  the  best  of  his  lights  helped  us  to  steer  a  right 
course.  At  half-past  five  we  reached  Bussa,  and  anchored 
opposite  the  landing-stage  of  the  village.  The  river  here 
divides  into  several  arms,  the  town  being  on  that  farthest 
to  the  right,  about  a  mile  from  the  bank.  A  little 
village  occupied  by  fishermen  and  traders  was  situated 
close  to  our  camp.  The  water,  which  is  of  a  black  colour, 
seems  very  deep  here,  and  the  islands  are  covered  with 
beautiful  vegetation.  The  natives  approached  us  without 
fear,  and  we  at  once  began  to  barter  with  them  in  the 
usual  manner,  exchanging  cloth,  bracelets,  rings  and  beads 
for  provisions. 

I  sent  Amadu  to  greet  the  chief  of  the  village,  promising 
him  a  good  present  if  he  succeeded  in  making  that  chief 
behave  well  to  us. 

I  waited  his  return  with  impatience.  There  we  were 
face  to  face  with  our  last  but  perhaps  the  greatest  difficulty 
of  our  voyage.  A  very  considerable  fuss  is  made  about 
the  cataracts  or  rather  the  rapids  of  Bussa.  Providence 
had  so  far  befriended  us,  and  enabled  us  to  reach  this  point 
without  having  lost  one  of  our  boats.  Not  a  single  man, 
white  or  black,  belonging  to  the  expedition  had  lost  his 
life  through  what  a  year  ago  had  been  called  our  temerity. 
We  had  managed  everywhere  with  greater  or  less  difficulty 
to  pass  on  in  peace,  leaving  behind  us  none  who  had  cause 
to  hate  us  or  to  vow  vengeance  on  us.  Yet  one  last  effort, 
and  our  aim  would  be  achieved  just  as  I  had  hoped  to 
achieve  it,  exactly  in  accordance  with  our  instructions,  in 
spite  of  all  the  difficulties  thrown  in  our  way,  not  only  by 
inanimate  nature  but  by  man.  Just  because  this  was  to 
be  our  last  struggle  we  dreaded  it  more  than  we  had  done 


FROM    SAY   TO    BUSSA 


445 


any  other.  I  was  therefore  immensely  relieved  when  I 
saw  Amadu  coming  back  accompanied  by  an  emissary 
from  the  chief.  According  to  him  all  would  go  well,  all 
was  arranged  ;  the  chief  of  Bussa  would  supply  us  with  all 
we  needed,  and,  greatly  to  the  delight  of  our  men,  give 
us  all  the  help  required  for  passing  the  rapids  safely.  A 
good  supply  of  the  fruit  called  kus  accompanied  these 
cheering  words.     The  chief  would  receive  us  the  next  day. 

Whilst  I  was  chatting  with  our  guide  and  the  natives 
who  accompanied  him,  some  girls  were  singing  our  praises 
and  those  of  their  master.  According  to  their  songs  the 
people  of  Bussa  are  descended  from  the  Persians,  and  they 
do  in  fact  claim  that  they  are  the  children  of  Kisira, 
who  fought  with  Mahomet,  and  were  driven  away  by  him. 
Reference  to  history  will  show  us  that  Kisira  is  only 
another  name  for  Chosroes  the  Great,  who  was,  as  a  matter 
of  fact,  the  unfortunate  adversary  of  the  founder  of  Islam. 

I  state  the  fact  for  what  it  is  worth,  for  the  benefit  of 
ethnologists. 


A   PALAVER. 


THE   SO-CALLED   NIGRITIAN,    THE  OLD   PONTOON   OF  YOLA. 


CHAPTER   X 

FROM  BUSSA  TO  THE  SEA;  CONCLUSION  OF  OUR 
VOYAGE 

The  whole  of  the  morning  of  the  3rd  was  occupied  in 
receiving  visits  from  people  more  or  less  nearly  related  to 
the  chief,  and  in  the  afternoon  I  was  informed  that  his 
Majesty  himself  would  receive  me. 

We  crossed  a  marsh  between  the  village  and  the  bank, 
and  duly  arrived  at  Bussa. 

There  is  nothing  very  imposing  about  the  town,  and  it 
has  been  recently  much  damaged  by  fire.  We  stopped  at 
the  door  of  a  big  round  hut,  some  thirty-five  to  forty-five 
feet  in  diameter,  which  was  really  very  well  built.  After  a 
brief  delay  we  were  admitted. 

The  chief  of  Bussa  was  squatting  on  a  bench  of  hardened 

earth,  some  twenty  inches  high,  and  wore  a  bubu  of  doubtful 

cleanliness,  and  a  cap  such  as  that  worn  by  the  eunuch 

in    Moliere's    play    to  which    I    alluded  *  in    speaking    of 

Dendi.     The   bench   was   covered    with   just   such  a   red 

446 


FROM    BUSSA  TO   THE   SEA  447 

carpet,  with  a  lion  rampant  as  I  had  seen  at  Tenda.  The 
chiefs  spear  was  stuck  in  the  ground  beside  him,  and  his 
sceptre  consisted  of  a  cane  ornamented  with  copper  and 
silver.  A  horribly  ugly  wife,  with  a  face  covered  with 
scars,  shared  the  royal  bench,  whilst  the  courtiers  remained 
squatted  on  the  sand  during  the  interview.  On  entering 
the  hut  every  one  was  expected  to  kneel,  and  on  reaching 


VIEW  OF  BUSSA. 


the  chief  the  visitor  had  again  to  prostrate  himself  and 
cast  sand  upon  his  own  head. 

A  wooden  bench  was  assigned  to  us  to  sit  on,  and  I 
spread  out  the  handsomest  present  I  had  brought  with  me. 

Salutations  were  now  exchanged.  Thanks  were  given 
in  the  name  of  the  Sultan  of  the  French  for  the  help  given 
to  Captain  Toutee  the  year  before  by  the  Bussa  canoes. 
I  then  slipped  in  a  word  about  the  facilities  of  transport  I 
hoped  for  for  myself. 


448  THE    EXPLORATION    OF   THE    NIGER 

The  reply  was  evasive,  and  moreover  the  expression  of 
the  chiefs  face  was  anything  but  intelligent.  We  returned 
on  board. 

The  next  day  our  visitors  became  more  and  more 
numerous.  Having  shown  off  the  phonograph  to  various 
persons,  the  rumour  of  that  wonderful  instrument  reached 


.NATIVES   OF   BUSS  A. 


the  ears  of  the  chief  himself,  and  he  sent  word  to  me  that 
he  too  would  like  to  hear  it. 

He  was,  however,  unwilling  to  put  himself  to  any 
inconvenience  for  the  sake  of  it,  and  wished  me  to  take  it 
to  him.  Anywhere  else  but  at  Bussa  I  would  have  said 
he  might  go  to  the  devil,  for  it  would  be  a  very  delicate 
operation  to  take  the  phonograph  to  him,  especially  across 
the  marsh.  But  I  was  determined  to  do  all  in  my  power 
to  conciliate  the  chief,  so  as  to  have  his  aid  when  I  crossed 
the  rapids.     Four  of  my  strongest  coolies  were  therefore 


FROM   BUSSA  TO   THE   SEA 


449 


told  off  to  carry  the  instrument,  which  fortunately  arrived 
without  sustaining  any  damage. 

The  scene  when  I  showed  off  the  powers  of  the  phono- 
graph was  interesting,  for  while  the  attendants  of  the  chief 
could  not  conceal  their  surprise,  he  himself  maintained  his 
dignity,  and  his  set  features  expressed  nothing  but  stupidity. 
He  offered  us  a  sheep,  because  he  said,  "  Now  that  we  have 


CANOES   AT   BUSSA. 


been  well  amused,  we  must  eat  well."  Trying  to  turn  his 
good  humour  to  account,  I  reverted  to  the  question  I  had 
at  heart — the  passage  of  the  rapids.  It  appeared  that  my 
question  on  the  subject  had  not  been  understood  the 
evening  before,  at  least  so  I  was  now  given  to  understand. 
I  repeated  my  request,  taking  cara  this  time  to  make  my 
meaning  perfectly  clear.  I  wanted  Bussa  canoes  to  take 
everything  we  had  on  board  down  below  the  rapids 
to  the  village  of  Auru,  as  they  do  the  merchandise  of  the 

G  G 


450  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

village.  We  ourselves  could  then  pass  down  quite  easily 
in  our  lightened  crafts  with  the  guides  I  also  asked  for. 
I  got  a  promise  at  last  that  all  my  wishes  should 
be  met. 

On  the  5th,  however,  there  were  still  no  canoes,  but  at 
four  o'clock  the  chief  sent  for  me  and  told  me  that  the 
whole  thing  was  arranged  and   settled.     In  fact,  I  heard 


WOMEN   OF   BUSSA. 


him  give  the  orders  to  two  negroes,  who  were,  I  was  told> 
the  chief  canoe  men.  We  agreed  that  I  should  pay  two 
hundred  thousand  cowries.  Thinking  that  everything  was 
really  settled  this  time,  I  gave  the  chief  my  own  fowling- 
piece  and  a  little  pocket  revolver. 

During  the  day  more  big  canoes,  from  about  twenty-seven 
to  thirty-three  feet  long,  came  alongside  of  our  boats  loaded 
with  rice  and  the  native  produce  called  karite.  The 
English  at  Seba  I  was  told  give  two  bags  of  salt  for  one  of 


FROM   BUSSA  TO   THE   SEA 


451 


rice,  and  the  karite  which  comes  from   Rupia   fetches  a 
good  price  in  the  factories. 

I  must  note  here,  en  passant^  how  little  we  French  know 
how  to  make  the  most  of  what  we  have  in  our  colonies. 
This  karite,  for  instance,  which  is  a  greasy  substance  ex- 
tracted from  the  fruit  of  the  Bassia  parkii,  is  to  be  obtained 
in  immense  quantities  in  the  French  Sudan.  It  has  been 
analyzed,  and  there  has  been  a  great  deal  of  talk  about  it 


WOMEN   OF   BUSSA. 


in    periodical   literature,  but  not  a  pound  of  it  has  been 
exported. 

I  had  mentally  fixed  the  7th  as  the  date  for  our  departure 
from  Bussa,  at  whatever  cost.  We  had  now  been  there 
three  days,  and  the  English  must  have  heard  of  our  arrival. 
How  would  they  behave  towards  us?  I  know  that  the 
Royal  Niger  Company  is  not  particularly  scrupulous  as  to 
the  means  it  employs,  and  of  this  there  are  plenty  of  well- 
known  instances :  such  as  the  torture  of  Mizon  by  Flint 


452 


THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 


at  Akassa,  after  being  wounded  in  a  fight  with  the  Patanis, 
who  were  perhaps  incited  against  him  ;  or  in  the  case  of 
the  foundering  of  the  Ardent^  when  her  crew,  deprived  of 
fresh  provisions,  died  off,  the  Company  showing  not  a  scrap 


TRUMPETERS    OF   BUSSA. 


of  compassion  for  them,  or  at  least  not  sending  them  any 
help. 

From  the  English  point  of  view,  it  would  be  a  fairer  way 
of  making  war  to  rouse  the  people  of  Bussa  against  us  ;  but 
never  mind,  we  have  cannon,  rifles,  and  thirty  thousand 
cartridges,  so  that  although  the  natives  do  own  a  certain 
number  of  quick-firing  weapons,  we  should  be  the  ones  to 
get  the  best  of  it  in  a  fight. 


FROM   BUSSA  TO   THE   SEA  453 

What  I  really  dread  more  than  the  open  hostility  of  the 
Company  is  a  sham  friendliness  on  their  part.  If  they 
came  to  our  aid,  offering  to  help  us,  even  in  spite  of 
ourselves,  it  would  only  be  a  bit  of  clever  diplomacy  on 
their  part,  really  quite  against  our  interests. 

I  knew  that  the  English  had  a  post  at  Leba,  about 
forty-four  miles  down-stream,  and  if  there  happened  to  be 
men  enough  there,  they  might  send  a  detachment  up  to 
us,  to  conquer  difficulties  they  had  themselves  perhaps 
created,  when  they  would  loudly  declare  that  they  had 
saved  our  lives. 

Should  this  take  place,  I  feel  pretty  sure  there  are  many 
in  France  who  would  be  simple  enough  to  be  taken  in  ;  such 
a  thing  has  happened  before  now,  and  I  bet  you  anything 
you  like,  the  English  will  be  warmly  thanked.  Remaining 
behind  after  we  are  gone  too,  they  will  reap  all  the  moral 
effect  of  our  arrival  from  the  Upper  Niger ;  the  natives  dis- 
tinguish very  little  between  the  different  white  nations,  and 
it  would  be  only  too  easy  for  the  English  to  represent  that 
we  are  fellow-countrymen  of  theirs  who  have  established 
themselves  higher  up-stream. 

If,  therefore,  we  meant  to  succeed,  and  not  to  have  our 
expedition  fail  at  the  very  entrance  of  the  long-hoped-for 
haven,  we  must  push  on  as  soon  as  possible,  with  or  without 
the  help  of  the  natives.  This  was  the  resolution  come  to 
by  us  five  in  a  little  council  of  war  we  held  together. 

At  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  there  was  still  no  sign 
of  a  canoe.  The  moment  of  decision  had  come.  We  had 
quantities  of  things  in  our  holds  of  little  use  or  value,  so  I 
determined  to  lighten  the  boats  as  much  as  possible,  partly 
to  lessen  their  draught,  and  partly  to  make  it  easier  to  get 
at  their  bottoms  to  plug  up  any  leak  which  should  occur. 

To  begin  with,  there  was  all  our  ammunition,  for  except 
for  a  few,  used  to  practise  shooting  and  to  kill  crocodiles, 


454  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

our  store  of  thirty  thousand  cartridges  was  intact.  I 
decided  to  sacrifice  twenty-two  thousand,  and  Digui,  having 
found  a  place  where  the  river  was  deep  enough  not  to  dry 
up  in  the  summer,  our  canoe  went  backwards  and  forwards, 
and  our  men  threw  the  cases  into  the  river  one  by  one. 
The  natives  of  Bussa  ran  to  the  banks  and  looked  on  in 
stupefied  astonishment ;  the  copper  cases  gleaming  in  the 
sunshine  excited  their  cupidity. 

Next  we  drowned  many  of  our  other  stores.  Into  the 
water  with  our  bottles  of  oil  and  pots  of  pomade !  Then 
into  the  fire  with  our  celluloid  bracelets,  necklaces,  and 
rings !  The  despair  of  the  natives  on  the  bank  became 
deeper  and  deeper,  reaching  its  height  when,  just  to  wind 
up  with  eclat  and  to  increase  their  regrets  rather  than  from 
necessity,  we  flung  two  or  three  dozen  many-coloured 
umbrellas  on  to  the  blazing  pile.  This  produced  positive 
desolation  amongst  the  spectators.  All  the  better,  it  would 
teach  them  to  behave  properly  to  foreigners. 

A  Fulah,  sent  I  was  told  by  the  Sultan  of  Gando,  flung 
himself  at  my  feet  and  entreated  me  to  stop  the  destruction, 
assuring  me  that  the  chief  of  Bussa  would  do  all  we  wished. 
I  reminded  him  of  a  proverb  current  in  his  native  place : 
"  It  is  no  good  to  put  the  fish  back  in  the  water  after  it  is 
cooked."  I  had  often  been  to  that  monarch's  court,  I  added, 
and  I  had  no  time  to  begin  all  over  again,  probably  in  vain, 
the  palavers  of  yesterday  and  the  day  before  that.  I  had 
had  enough  of  it  now. 

The  river  was  falling  too  ;  we  had  noticed  a  decrease 
of  some  four  inches  in  the  depth  of  the  water  during  the 
last  twenty-four  hours,  and  although  all  the  natives  agreed 
in  declaring  that  it  was  only  temporary,  I  was  not  going 
to  run  the  risk  of  finding  our  passage  blocked. 

Amongst  the  crowd  I  noticed  a  diavandii  from  Igga, 
who  was  trying  to  incite  the  natives  against   us.     There 


FROM   BUSSA  TO   THE   SEA  455 

were  several  of  his  fellow-countrymen  there  too,  easily- 
identified  by  their  tubus  with  the  green  embroideries  already 
referred  to  as  sold  by  the  Niger  Company. 

I  was  now  assured  that  the  chief  had  had  his  canoe  men 
put  in  irons  for  disappointing  us,  but  unfortunately  a  minute 
afterwards  I  recognized  them  in  the  crowd. 

I  copy  the  following  sentence  from  my  journal  written 
on  the  spur  of  the  moment — 


WOMEN   OF   BUSSA. 


"  It  is  very  evident  that  the  English  have  not  lost  time 
since  last  year ;  they  have  not,  it  is  true,  as  I  feared  they 
would,  pushed  their  effective  occupation  up-stream,  but  have 
merely,  so  to  speak,  set  going  the  cavalry  of  Saint  George. 
Their  plan  is  simply  to  delay  us  ;  yes,  to  delay  us  till  it  is 
impossible  for  our  boats  to  pass  the  rapids.  We  should  then 
be  obliged  to  go  by  land  through  Burgu,  which  they  know 
to  be  dangerous,  and  where  they  have  no  doubt  sown 
obstacles   for   us — one  well-aimed   shot,  one   well-planted 


456  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

poisoned  arrow,  and  there  would  be  an  end  of  our  expedition 
and  its  results.  Otherwise  there  would  be  nothing  left  for 
us  to  do  but  to  go  down  to  Leba  and  ask  the  English 
to  co-operate  with  us. 

"This  was  the  policy  described  by  Agoult,  but  Inch  Allah  ! 
our  rivals  will  not  have  the  latter  satisfaction.  Let  us  pass 
the  rapids  somehow  or  other,  and  I  promise  myself  that  I 
will  describe  the  odiousness  of  such  conduct  even  to,  indeed 
especially  to,  the  honest  portion  of  the  English  nation.  The 
first  thing  to  be  done  is  to  pass  the  rapids." 

Weary  of  the  dispute,  and  seeing  that  I  was  quite  decided 
not  to  return  to  the  village,  the  messenger  from  the  chief 
now  left.  Our  old  guide  was  in  despair,  for  he  had  boasted 
so  much  to  us  of  his  influence  over  the  chief  of  Bussa.  "  I 
must  have  become  blind  or  stupid,"  he  said,  "  for  he  cannot 
really  have  been  telling  lies  all  the  time." 

I  tried  to  persuade  Amadu  to  accompany  us  at  least,  but 
he  confessed  that  though  it  was  true  he  had  passed  the 
rapids,  it  was  twenty  years  ago.  Still  he  did  not  like  to 
refuse  straight  out.  He  would  land  now,  and  then  he 
would  see. 

Night  had  now  fallen,  and  a  quarter  of  an  hour  after  our 
guide  had  left  we  heard  loud  cries  and  the  noise  of  people 
running.  We  seized  our  w^eapons,  but  it  was  only  old 
Amadu  coming  back  out  of  breath.  Four  or  five  pieces  of 
stuff  which  I  had  given  him  as  payment  had  been  stolen 
from  him.  Some  men  had  fallen  on  him  about  half-way  to 
the  village. 

Seeing  that  they  meant  to  take  his  life,  or  at  least  to 
deprive  him  of  liberty,  he  had  drawn  his  sword  (it  was  only 
a  bit  of  iron  from  an  old  cask),  resolved  to  defend  himself 
to  the  last.  The  Bussa  bravos,  five  against  one  poor  old 
man,  had  at  first  run  aw^ay,  and  Amadu  had  profited  by 
their  alarm  to  take  to  his  own  legs.     Then  they  ran  after 


FROM   BUSSA  TO   THE   SEA  457 

him  again,  but  he  managed  to  get  safely  back  to  us  on 
board  our  boat  without  further  adventures. 

These  silly  natives  had  thus  secured  us  a  guide  on  whom 
I  had  certainly  not  counted,  for  Amadu  would  not  leave 
our  boats  now.  I  asked  him  if  he  wanted  to  go  down  as 
far  as  Leba,  to  which  he  replied  "  Dolel'  or  needs  must. 

For  the  whole  night  I  pondered  on  the  situation,  whilst 
a  continual  watch  was  kept  on  board.  My  first  idea  was 
to  bombard  the  village  of  Bussa  at  daybreak,  and  thus 
give  its  people  a  severe  lesson.  There  really  had  been  a 
flagrant  and  successful  attack  made  on  the  person  of  a 
member  of  my  expedition. 

Further  reflection,  however,  brought  me  to  a  better 
mind,  for,  truth  to  tell,  I  did  not  know  how  matters  stood 
with  regard  to  the  questions  of  delimitation  between  the 
French  and  the  English.  The  latter  claim  Bussa  in  virtue 
of  treaties  made  with  the  Royal  Niger  Company,  but 
Commandant  Toutee  denies  that  these  treaties  are  valid. 
Who  is  right  ?  Who  is  wrong  ?  I  am  sure  I  don't  know. 
The  chief  of  Bussa  acted  towards  me  as  if  he  were  quite 
independent,  and  perhaps  he  is  the  one  to  speak  the  truth 
after  all. 

If,  however,  the  actual  or  implicit  assertions  of  the 
English  be  true,  it  results  that  one  of  their  proteges  had 
committed  an  aggression  on  one  of  our  party,  the  odium 
and  responsibility  of  which  rests  with  them.  Either  they 
have  effective  power  and  real  influence  at  Bussa,  which 
would  make  them  accomplices,  or  they  have  not,  and  in 
the  latter  case  their  assertions  are  lies.  The  dilemma 
appears  to  me  to  be  one  difficult  to  elude,  and  I  leave 
to  French  diplomatists  the  task  of  deducting  from  it  the 
practical  consequences. 

I  think  I  must  have  scented  mischief  when  I  refrained 
from  accepting  the  chiefs  last  invitation.     That  at   least 


458  THE   EXPLORATION   OF  THE   NIGER 

was  the  opinion  of  our  guide,  for  he  is  convinced  that 
if  he  had  not  made  his  escape  the  evening  before,  his 
head  would  have  been  no  longer  on  his  shoulders. 

I  learnt  later  that  when  the  attack  took  place  on 
the  director  Fonssagrives  at  Yangbassu,  the  people  of 
Bussa   had   sent  reinforcements  to  the  assailants.     Once 


AMONG   THE   RAPIDS. 


more  a  mere  chance  had  saved  us  from  a  great  danger, 
and  from  falling  into  the  trap  set  for  us. 

The  7th  and  8th  of  this  month  will  ever  remain  in  our 
memories  two  of  the  most  terrible  of  the  whole  journey. 
Just  because  we  had  in  them  to  meet  the  last  dangers  of 
our  eventful  journey  down  the  Niger,  at  least  of  those 
dangers  for  which  Nature  alone  was  responsible,  the  anxiety 
they  caused  seemed  almost  unbearable. 

At  first  the  river  was  easily  navigable  enough,  but  we 
soon  came  to  the  first  rapid.     This  we  crossed  successfully, 


FROM   BUSSA  TO   THE   SEA  459 

however,  the  Davoust  in  one  great  rush,  the  Aube  after 
being  compelled  to  anchor  just  above  it,  till  Digui  returned 
for  her  with  a  reinforcement  of  rowers. 

We  anchored  at  Malali  for  breakfast,  and  Digui  went 
to  reconnoitre  the  rapid  below  that  village.  We  were 
just  finishing  our  meal  when  some  messengers  arrived  from 
the  chief  of  Bussa.     Yet  again  we  are  to  hear  from  him  ! 

The  messengers  explained  that  although  a  nominal 
ruler,  the  chief  had  really  less  influence  than  any  one  in 
his  village.  He  had  done  his  very  utmost  to  overcome 
the  indifference  of  those  about  him  to  our  wishes,  but  it 
had  all  been  in  vain.  "  We  were  relations ! "  he  added, 
and  he  did  not  wish  us  to  go  away  angry  with  him.  To 
this  I  replied  that  one  of  our  men  had  been  molested  and 
robbed,  and  I  would  not  add  a  syllable  to  anything  which 
was  said  until  the  objects  stolen  from  him  had  been 
restored  and  the  guilty  men  punished.  The  messengers 
swore  that  the  chief  knew  nothing  about  the  outrage,  and, 
after  all,  this  may  have  been  true,  for  this  poor  down- 
trodden demi-god  of  a  chief  had  none  but  venal  courtiers 
about  him,  and  unless  we  interfere  to  save  it,  Bussa  is  a 
prey  marked  down  for  the  big  teeth  of  perfidious  Albion. 

Digui  returned  wet  through  ;  he  had  tried  to  shoot  the 
rapid,  but  the  canoe  was  swamped,  and  he  had  only  just 
time  to  save  himself  by  running  her  into  the  bank.  In 
fact,  it  was  quite  impossible  to  reconnoitre  here  as  we  had 
hitherto  done.  We  had  to  make  examining  the  river  from 
the  banks  do.  Such  was  the  violence  of  the  current,  so 
narrow  were  the  passes  and  so  big  the  waves,  that  canoes 
could  only  pass  the  rapids  by  shooting  through  little 
channels  quite  impracticable  to  our  barges. 

A  dreary  prospect  truly  !  But  one  way  was  open  to 
us,  and  not  even  the  natives  knew  anything  about  it. 
We  walked  along  the  bank,  and  an  eager  discussion  took 


46o  THE   EXPLORATION   OF  THE   NIGER 

place  at  each  eddy  we  came  to.  Were  there  rocks 
beneath  them  or  were  they  merely  whirlpools?  At  last, 
thanks  be  to  God,  we  came  to  the  end  of  them. 

We  managed,  after  all,  to  pass  them  all  in  our  boats, 
and  they  were  indeed  enough  to  terrify  any  one  ;  but  they 
were  really  more  alarming  than  dangerous,  for  there  was 
plenty  of  water  above  most  of  the  rocks.  In  one  pass, 
some  54  yards  wide,  shut  in  between  two  large  reefs,  a 
good  half  of  the  waters  of  the  Niger  flings  itself  over  with 
a  tremendous  roar. 

The  immense  velocity  of  the  current  is  such  that  the 
water  dashes  up  the  banks  like  the  waves  of  the  sea,  and 
there  is  one  paradoxical  thing  about  it :  the  level  is  at 
least  three  feet  higher  near  the  banks  than  in  midstream, 
where  a  kind  of  trough  is  formed. 

It  is  along  this  trough  that  we  have  to  steer,  and  it  is 
really  very  dreadful  to  see  the  large  masses  of  water  piled 
up  on  either  side,  looking  as  if  they  were  ready  to  rush 
together  and  engulf  us  between  them. 

Digui  made  a  very  sensible  speech  to  his  crew. 

"Attention,"  he  cried,  "no  one  is  to  look  out  of  the 
boat ;  every  one  must  put  out  all  his  strength  ;  but  I'll 
break  the  head  of  the  first  man  who  looks  beyond  the  deck." 

Then  ensued  thirty  seconds  of  mortal  agony ;  there  was 
a  kind  of  flash  like  lightning,  and  the  current  had  seized 
the  barge  in  its  grip,  hugging  it  tightly.  The  vessel 
seemed  about  to  break  beneath  the  masses  of  water  flung 
back  from  the  banks  to  the  centre  of  the  stream,  but  it 
was  over  ;  we  had  got  safely  through  the  pass. 

I  estimate  the  speed  of  the  current  at  from  twelve  to 
fourteen  miles,  and  if  the  boat  had  struck  on  an  unnoticed 
rock  as  it  rushed  along,  we  knew  that  it  must  have  been 
split  open  from  stem  to  stern. 

On  the  right  of  the  pass   is  a  group  of  little  islands 


FROM   BUSSA  TO   THE   SEA  461 

where  the  current  is  broken  up,  and  its  strength  lessened. 
It  is  amongst  them  that  canoes  are  able  to  get  through, 
turning  the  quieter  water  to  account ;  but,  as  I  said  before, 
the  passes  there  were  too  narrow  for  our  boats. 

We  were  soon  flung  on  to  a  second  rapid,  less  majestic 
and  terrible  in  appearance,  but  perhaps  more  dangerous 
than  the  first.  To  pass  it  safely,  we  had  to  steer  to  the 
left  to  begin  with,  and  then  bear  to  the  right  as  much  as 
possible  to  avoid  the  waves  driven  back  in  that  direction 


THE   RAPIDS   BELOW  BUSSA. 

by  a  great  rock  over  which  the  water  fell  like  a  huge 
moustache  ;  only  the  utmost  care  and  skill  saved  the  boats 
from  being  flung  upon  a  bank  of  sharp  flints  near  the 
left  bank.  In  fact,  it  was  an  even  more  delicate  manoeuvre 
to  achieve  than  to  describe  ! 

Beyond  this  rapid  the  water  was  boiling  and  seething 
as  in  some  huge  caldron ;  whirlpools  and  waves  met  and 
clashed  into  each  other,  and  even  between  the  rapids,  in 
comparatively  calm  water,  there  was  such  a  swell  on  that 
the  boats  were  lifted  high  up  and  rolled  about  as  if 
at  sea. 


462  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

We  anchored  off  Garafiri,  whilst  above  and  below  us 
roared  the  rapids. 

The  next  day,  the  8th,  we  started  early  and  passed 
without  difficulty  the  Kandji  rapid,  which  is  comparatively 
easy.  We  breakfasted  at  Konotasi ;  at  least,  that  is  the 
way  the  natives  seem  to  me  to  pronounce  the  name  marked 
Kpatachi  on  maps. 

Digui  again  went  to  reconnoitre,  and  came  back  with 
the  gloomy  face  of  old  difficult  days.  The  trading 
canoes  which  had  left  Bussa  during  our  stay  there  had 
not  yet  gone,  but  were  about  to  discharge  their  cargoes. 
They  would  take  a  little  channel  on  the  right,  but  it  was 
too  narrow  for  us.  Moreover,  there  was  not  yet  water 
enough  even  for  native  boats,  and  they  would  have 
to  wait  for  an  inundation.  We  must  again  follow  the 
main  stream,  and  we  went  along  the  banks  to  look  for 
the  pass. 

Malali  was  nothing  to  what  we  had  now  to  encounter, 
for  the  only  pass  was  by  an  opening  not  as  big  as  that 
of  the  sluice  of  a  canal. 

"  Can  we  pass,  Digui  ?  "  we  asked. — "  Yes,  perhaps,"  he 
replied,  "  if  it  is  the  will  of  Allah  !  " 

With  this  assurance  we  had  to  be  content,  and  I  gave 
the  order  "  Forward  !  " 

When  my  old  guide  saw  us  steering  towards  the  left 
to  take  the  course  impracticable  even  to  native  canoes  he 
was  terrified.  "  Laol  alia  I  Laol  alia  ! "  he  cried,  "  there 
is  no  pass  there ! "  I  put  my  hand  over  his  mouth  to 
make  him  hold  his  tongue,  and  flinging  himself  upon  the 
deck  he  hid  his  head  in  his  cloak. 

I  got  my  camera  ready  for  taking  a  photograph,  but 
Digui  said  to  me.  "It  is  not  worth  while !"—"  Why  ?  " 
I  asked. — "  Because  you  will  not  be  able  to  look.  You 
will  be  afraid  !  " 


FROM   BUSSA  TO   THE   SEA 


463 


Yet  Digui  had  seen  me  look  at  places  still  less  attractive 
than  this  pass,  which  was  no  pass. 

I  proved  him  wrong  to  some  extent,  for  I  did  succeed 
in  getting  two  photographs  of  the  banks  we  were  passing. 
I  don't  deny,  however,  that  I  felt  a  slight  shudder  pass 
over  me,  and  I  hope  I  am  not  more  of  a  coward  than  any 
one  else  would  have  been  under  the  circumstances. 


AMONG    THE    RAPIDS. 


This  time  we  experienced  a  peculiar  sensation  such  as 
we  had  never  had  before ;  when  the  boat  passed  over  the 
whirlpools,  everywhere  intersecting  each  other,  it  seemed 
to  be  alternately  sucked  in  and  flung  out  again  by  the 
masses  of  water. 

One  instant  of  calm,  then  a  second  rapid,  and  we 
anchored  in  a  little  creek ;  Digui  then  went  back  to  fetch 
the  Aube  and  the  Dantec,  and  we  found  ourselves  all  once 
more  safely  together. 


464  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

We  had  still  two  more  rapids  to  cross,  the  first  easy, 
the  second  more  difficult,  on  account  of  a  very  violent 
current  flowing  towards  a  channel  on  the  left  encumbered 
with  flints. 

According  to  the  maps,  we  should  now  come  to  a  stretch 
of  calm  water.  I  hoped  to  anchor  above  the  Auru  pass, 
which  would  be  the  last,  and  to  attempt  its  passage  the 
next  day. 

At  Auru  the  Niger  makes  a  bend  to  the  right  of  ninety 
degrees,  and  the  main  channel  is  so  terribly  encumbered 
with  rocks  and  impedimenta  of  all  kinds,  whilst  the  current 
is  at  the  same  time  so  fearfully  strong,  that  it  would  not 
do  to  attempt  to  go  down  it  in  the  night.  However,  there 
is  an  arm  which  cuts  across  the  bend,  and  though  still  very 
difficult,  makes  it  possible  to  shoot  the  rapid. 

All  of  a  sudden,  as  we  were  quietly  going  along,  the 
river  in  front  of  us  seemed  to  turn  abruptly  to  the 
right. 

I  began  to  suspect  that  there  was  a  mistake  on  the 
maps,  and  that  we  were  much  nearer  to  Auru  than  we  had 
thought.  Still  I  hesitated  for  a  minute.  However,  there 
was  a  little  channel  on  the  right  with  a  hill  rising  above 
it  on  which  was  perched  a  village.  It  must  be  Auru. 
Just  then  the  main  current,  which  grew  rapidly  stronger, 
seized  us,  and  we  were  on  the  point  of  being  swept  down 
by  it  and  swamped.  "  To  the  bank !  To  the  bank, 
Digui ! "  I  shouted  ;  "  quick,  quick  !  "— "  All  right,  all  right," 
was  the  reply,  and  he  tried  to  wring  an  explanation  out  of 
the  guide,  who  could  give  none.  Ten  seconds  wasted  in 
discussion,  and  it  would  be  too  late.  We  were  too  late  ;  we 
had  passed  the  practicable  channel. 

"  Anchor !  anchor !  "  I  shouted.  Yes,  the  anchors  hold, 
and  for  the  moment  we  are  saved ! 

On  our  starboard  the  banks  consisted  of  half-submerged 


FROM    BUSSA  TO    THE    SEA  465 

flints,  from  which  grew  some  small  aquatic  trees.  It  was 
this  vegetation  which  had  misled  our  guide,  for  when  he 
was  here  twenty  years  before  it  did  not  exist. 

We  now  had  to  make  our  way  against  the  current  to  get 
back  to  the  good  channel.  It  was  simply  impossible  to  do 
so  by  rowing.  The  only  thing  to  be  done  was  to  lengthen 
our  ropes,  and  fastening  them  to  trees,  tow  ourselves 
along,  so  to  speak,  from  place  to  place.  It  took  us  about 
three  hours  and  a  half  to  do  it. 

Somehow  or  another,  however,  we  did  achieve  the 
difficult  task  of  getting  safely  into  the  right  course  again. 

The  Dantec,  which  had  anchored  behind  the  Davoust^ 
had  only  a  light  load  now,  and  I  thought  it  would  take 
less  time  for  her  to  cross  the  river  and  go  up  along  the  left 
bank,  where  the  current  was  less  violent. 

Unfortunately,  however,  the  manoeuvre  was  not  executed 
as  quickly  as  it  should  have  been,  for  the  Dantec  drifted  a 
good  way  in  making  the  crossing,  and  it  was  just  all  she 
could  do  to  get  up-stream  again. 

We  moored  the  two  big  boats  to  trees,  and  Digui  went 
once  more  to  reconnoitre.  We  now  had  to  slip  as  best  we 
•could  through  the  narrow  channels  between  the  rocks, 
before  we  attempted  the  shooting  of  the  rapid  itself. 

We  should  have  had  time  to  pass  before  night,  but  I 
would  not  leave  the  Dantec  behind,  and  I  sent  Digui  in  his 
canoe  to  her  with  extra  rowers.  We  remained  moored  to 
our  trees,  and  fortunately  found  near  our  stopping-place  a 
little  bit  of  nearly  dry  ground,  where  we  were  able  to  light 
a  fire. 

At  first  we  could  see  the  Dantec  slowly  making  her  way 
up-stream,  then  she  became  hidden  by  trees.  Two  whole 
hours  of  suspense  passed  by,  and  it  was  now  quite  dark. 
We  shouted  as  loud  as  we  could  to  make  ourselves  heard 
above  the  noise  of  the  rapids,  but  no  answer  came  for  a 

H  H 


466  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

long  time.  All  of  a  sudden  we  heard  Digui's  voice  crying  : 
"  We  are  swamped  !  "  A  momentary  lull  in  the  roar  of  the 
water  had  enabled  us  to  hear  these  far  from  reassuring 
words,  but  the  rest  died  away  in  the  darkness  of  the  night. 
Was  our  barge  then  at  the  bottom  of  the  river?  What 
had  become  of  our  coolies  ?  Were  they  drowned  or  cling- 
ing to  some  bushes  on  the  bank  ?  There  was  no  way  of 
helping  them,  for  Digui  had  taken  the  canoe.  It  was  a 
cruel  moment  for  us  all,  and  our  anxiety  was  redoubled 
when  we  presently  saw  the  canoe  coming  back  with  only 
three  men  in  her. 

But  after  all  every  one  was  safe  and  the  barge  uninjured. 
As  she  was  going  up-stream  the  Dantec  had  got  her  mast 
caught  in  a  tree,  and  had  been  tilted  over  so  that  she  filled 
with  water ;  in  fact  was,  as  Digui  had  cried,  swamped  for 
the  moment.  Fortunately,  however,  some  roots  kept 
her  up,  and  our  coolies  had  managed  to  get  rid  of  the 
water  and  float  her  again.  She  was  not  able  to  join  us  yet, 
but  she  was  moored  to  some  trees  quite  close  to  us. 

That  night  was  anything  but  pleasant  to  any  of  us.  We 
were  wet  through,  and  anxiety  about  the  morrow  kept  us 
awake.  After  a  time  the  perpetual  noise  of  the  water 
surging  about  the  rocks  and  round  the  trunks  of  the  trees 
produces  a  peculiar  effect  on  the  mind,  an  effect  alike 
strange  and  depressing,  for  one  fancies  one  hears  the 
moaning  of  the  spirits  of  the  water,  which  the  natives 
believe  haunt  the  river. 

Our  guide  told  us  that  the  Auru  rapids  are  inhabited  by 
demons,  whose  voices  are  heard  at  night.  They  are  said 
to  have  a  passion  for  everything  of  a  red  colour,  so  that 
those  who  navigate  the  river  have  to  hide  anything  of  that 
hue,  lest  the  demons  should  swamp  their  boats  for  the 
sake  of  getting  possession  of  it. 

I  never  saw  the  devils  of  Auru,  but  I  can  honestly  say 


FROM   BUSSA  TO   THE   SEA  467 

that  I  heard  them ;  in  fact,  that  we  all  heard  them.  All 
through  the  night  one  or  the  other  of  us  was  constantly 
being  woke  up  by  peculiar  noises,  amongst  which  we 
certainly  fancied  we  could  distinguish  voices. 

In  this  frame  of  mind,  and  unable  as  we  were  to  com- 
municate with  the  Dantec,  we  kept  thinking  that  some 
misfortune  had  befallen  her,  and  that  the  strange  voices 
were  those  of  our  coolies  clinging  perhaps  to  trees  as  they 
called  for  help,  or  consulting  together  what  they  could  do  to 
save  themselves. 

But  day  dawned  at  last,  and  we  succeeded  in  towing 
back  the  Dantec,  on  which  we  found  our  men  all  well,  though 
very  cold  and  weary.  We  now  held  a  consultation  and 
decided  that  the  Davoust  should  pass  first  and  anchor 
opposite  the  point  of  the  island  between  the  two  arms  of 
the  river.  Digui  and  some  coolies  would  then  go  back 
from  there  to  help  in  bringing  down  the  Aube  and  the 
Dantec. 

We  threaded  our  way  carefully  amongst  the  rocks  to 
keep  in  the  right  channel,  and  then  the  Dantec  simply  fell 
into  the  rapids.  There  was  less  swell  with  fewer  waves 
than  there  had  been  at  Garafiri  or  at  Konotasi,  but  I  think 
there  was  also  less  depth  of  water.  On  the  right  and  the 
left  were  countless  rocks  over  which  the  river  dashed 
foaming  and  seething.  We  found  it  impossible  to  anchor 
as  we  had  intended  off  the  end  of  the  island,  for  the 
current  swept  us  into  the  village  of  lower  Auru  on  the 
right  bank. 

I  therefore  sent  Digui  back  by  land  with  some  of  the 
men.  We  waited  for  two  hours  without  hearing  anything. 
At  last  we  saw  one  of  the  coolies  running  back  to  us,  and 
he  brought  the  bad  news  that  in  trying  to  cross  the  small 
arm  of  the  river  to  take  the  second  master  pilot  on  board, 
the  canoe  had  capsized,  and  the  Aube  had  now  no  means  of 


468  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

communicating  with  the  land.  Baudry  had  sent  to  ask 
me  to  try  and  get  a  boat  from  the  village.  I  went  there, 
and  with  the  aid  of  our  guide  Amadu  I  made  my  request. 
Very  great  unwillingness  to  grant  it  was  at  first  shown, 
followed  by  a  formal  refusal  on  the  ground  that  the 
villagers  had  been  forbidden  to  help  us.  Who  had  forbidden 
it  ?  I  could  not  find  out.  I  drew  forth  my  revolver  and  held 
it  to  the  chief's  forehead.  It  was  the  first  and  last  time  I 
ever  had  recourse  to  such  an  argument  as  this,  but  it  had 
the  desired  effect.  A  canoe  was  sent  off  from  the  village 
with  two  rowers,  and  I  went  along  the  bank  to  the  place 
where  the  Aiibe  was  anchored. 

When  I  got  there,  I  found  that  the  canoe  was  righted 
again.  Our  coolies  had  plunged  into  the  very  rapid  itself, 
and  clinging  to  submerged  roots  they  had  succeeded  in 
passing  ropes  under  her  keel  and  floating  her.  The  water 
where  she  had  gone  down  was  more  than  nine  feet  deep. 
Brave  fellows,  indeed,  were  these  coolies  of  mine  !  They  may 
have  their  faults  ;  they  are  gluttons  and  liars  ;  they  are  often 
lazy  enough  ;  but  on  any  dangerous  emergency  these  scions 
of  the  noble  Sarracolais  race  rise  to  the  occasion,  and  their 
devotion  may  be  depended  upon  under  whatever  strain. 

Baudry  now  informed  me  that  the  rudder  of  the  Dantec 
was  broken,  so  that  it  was  impossible  to  steer  her.  *'  Take 
the  crew  off  and  abandon  her  ?  No  !  I  hope  to  take  her  on 
by  towing  her  !  " 

I  watched  everything  made  ready  for  the  difficult 
manceuvre.  The  Dantec  was  towed  along  from  tree  to  tree, 
to  the  very  edge  of  the  big  rapid,  whilst  behind  her  came 
the  canoe  with  a  rope  passed  twice  round  a  trunk,  as  her 
bow  plunged  into  the  foam.  On  the  stern  of  the  Aube 
stood  Samba  Demba,  our  best  coolie,  with  a  coiled  rope  in 
his  arms,  ready  to  fling  it  to  the  Dantec  as  she  went  over 
the  rapid.     One  second's  hesitation,  and  everything  would 


FROM    BUSSA  TO   THE    SEA  469 

go  wrong,  and  I  was  on  the  very  point  of  shouting  to 
Baudry  to  give  up  his  plan,  but  it  was  really  such  a 
splendid  piece  of  daring,  such  a  thoroughly  sailor-like 
thing  to  do,  that  I  refrained.  Yet  once  more,  thank  God, 
we  succeeded,  coming  off  with  flying  colours. 

Slowly  the  Aube  loosened  her  moorings,  and  the  current 
at  first  took  her  gently  down,  then  quicker  and  ever  quicker 
she  rushed  along  as  she  crossed  the  Dantec.  Bravo !  the 
rope,  flung  with  unerring  aim,  fell  right  into  her  bow.  "  Let 
go  all ! "  and  the  Aube  and  Dantec  plunged  into  the  rapid. 
Will  they  be  able  to  shoot  it  in  safety  ?  The  shouts  of  the 
excited  coolies  reach  me  above  the  roar  of  the  water.  The 
doctor  and  Bluzet  have  each  taken  an  oar.  For  a  moment 
I  thought  all  the  boats  would  be  flung  against  the  rocks  on 
the  left,  which  would  have  been  their  complete  destruction  ; 
but  the  next  I  saw  them  gradually  bearing  to  the  right.  At 
last  they  were  through,  all  danger  past ! 

The  AtLbe,  swept  on  by  the  current,  could  not  stop  near 
the  Davoust^  and  there  was  yet  another  rapid,  quite  a  small 
one,  below  the  village.  She  passed  it  without  difficulty, 
and  went  to  anchor  some  hundred  yards  down-stream, 
where  we  hastened  to  join  her. 

We  had  done  with  the  rapids  now,  and  not  one  of  us  was 
missing,  not  one  of  our  boats  had  been  lost.  We  clasped 
each  other's  hands  without  a  word. 

But  our  excitement  gradually  subsided,  and  we  shouted, 
"  Filey,  get  us  some  breakfast ;  and  mind  you  do  your 
best ! " 

We  started  again  about  two  o'clock,  and  half-an-hour 
later  we  were  opposite  Leba,  where  floats  the  white  flag  of 
the  Royal  Niger  Company,  with  its  ship  and  the  circle  cut 
across  by  three  rays,  bearing  the  motto,  Pax^  JuSy  Aj^s. 
Here  we  had  to  meet  our  last  danger.  What  would  the 
English  do  ?     I  awaited  them  with  composure,  for  it  is  we 


470  THE  EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

who  have  the  whip  hand  now,  and  to  begin  by  showing 
them  that  I  was  not  going  to  submit  to  a  compulsory  halt, 
we  passed  on  without  stopping  at  Leba.  There  was  a  good 
deal  of  bustle  at  the  station,  however,  and  eleven  riflemen 
came  out  and  took  up  their  position  on  the  bank.  Certainly 
there  was  effective  occupation  here,  not  a  doubt  of  it ;  only 
every  one  will  admit  that  no  such  effective  occupation  has 
taken  place  higher  up-stream.  My  difficulties  at  Bussa  may 
perhaps  be  renewed  here,  indeed  increased.  Lower  Auru 
is  about  a  mile  and  three-quarters  from  Leba.  Either  the 
English  rule  here  or  they  do  not ;  in  the  former  case,  it 
was  they  who  had  told  the  natives  not  to  give  us  any  help 
when  two  of  our  boats  were  in  the  greatest  danger.  In  the 
second  case,  this  effective  occupation  is  very  precarious  and 
limited  at  the  only  point  where  there  are  any  troops,  and 
for  the  very  best  of  reasons  it  does  not  extend  to  Bussa, 
which,  from  the  European  point  of  view,  remains  rex 
nulliiis. 

A  tornado  compelled  us  to  anchor  about  four  o'clock 
near  the  left  bank,  and  we  kept  as  strict  a  watch  as  we  had 
done  in  the  Tuareg  country.  We  took  care  to  be  on  our 
guard  against  a  blow  from  tJie  Tatanis^  such  as  had 
succeeded  so  well  in  the  case  of  Mizon. 

For  the  sake  of  those  who  have  forgotten  that  incident  I 
will  add  here  that  Mizon  was  attacked  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Niger  by  Patanis,  when  he  was  entering  it  in  his  vessel,  the 
Rene  Caille.  When  he  complained,  the  Niger  Company 
replied  :  "  We  were  not  aware  that  you  were  there."  Those 
very  Patanis,  his  enemies  of  the  day  before,  brought  him 
wood  for  burning,  by  order  of  the  English  agent. 

At  about  eight  o'clock  on  October  lo  we  passed  Bad- 
jibo,  or  rather  Guadjibo,  where  Captain  Toutee  had  built 
Fort  Arenberg.  After  he  had  evacuated  it  the  English 
took  possession  of  it,  finding  it  in  perfect  repair.     There  is 


FROM    BUSSA  TO   THE   SEA  471 

no  doubt  that  as  the  Company  already  had  a  station  at 
Leba,  above  Guadjibo,  the  French  occupation  of  the  latter 
place  was  open  to  discussion. 

I  once  started  a  conversation  in  a  meeting  at  the  Sor- 
bonne,  which  at  one  moment  seemed  likely  to  become 
acrimonious,  for  I  quoted  a  remark  of  Baron  d'Haussy, 
Naval  Minister  in  the  time  of  Charles  X.,  as  a  base  of  the 
policy  to  be  followed  in  dealing  with  the  English.  It  is 
well  known  that  in  a  talk  with  the  English  ambassador, 
d'Haussy,  irritated  at  the  off-hand  manner  of  the  latter, 
said  :  "  If  you  want  a  diplomatic  answer,  the  President  of 
the  Council  will  give  it  to  you ;  as  for  me,  I  say,  setting  aside 
official  language,  that  nous  nous  f  .  .  .  de  vousT  ^ 

The  remark  was  certainly  not  couched  in  diplomatic 
terms,  but  it  represented  the  only  way  to  treat  the  English. 
When,  however,  we  act  upon  the  principle  applied  we  must 
take  every  care  to  be  well  within  our  rights.  If,  through 
any  imprudence  at  the  beginning,  you  lay  yourself  open  to 
have  to  withdraw  a  single  step  later,  your  rivals  know  how 
to  turn  it  to  account  by  making  you  go  back  ten. 

The  village  of  Guadjibo  is  situated  on  the  left  bank. 
Fort  Arenberg,  the  name  of  which  the  Royal  Niger  Com- 
pany has  changed  into  Taubman-Goldie,  is  opposite  to  it 
on  the  right  bank.  A  guard  of  riflemen  came  to  do  us  the 
honours  of  the  pass,  and  then  a  few  minutes  later  two 
canoes  put  off  from  the  bank  to  follow  us,  but  we  gained 
rapidly  upon  them. 

Without  having  stopped  at  either  of  the  first  two  English 
posts  we  reached  Geba,  having  thus  asserted  our  right  to 
navigate  the  river  without  any  compulsory  halt  or  any 
interference  on  the  part  of  the  Company. 

^  Louis  Blanc,  '  Histoire  de  Dix  Ans.'  The  sentence  quoted  is 
quite  untranslatable,  but  "  We  don't  care  a  rap  for  you,"  perhaps  fairly 
represents  it. — Trans. 


472 


THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 


As  Geba  is  approached  the  scenery  becomes  more  and 
more  picturesque.  Peaks  hundreds  of  feet  high  dominate 
the  almost  precipitous  verdure-clad  hills,  the  bases  of  which 
are  bathed  by  the  river. 

At  last  at  four  o'clock,  suddenly  rounding  a  headland^ 
and  steering  from  west  to  east,  we  found  ourselves  opposite 
a  group  of  magnificent  jagged  rocks,  whilst  further  on  we 


could  see  the  corrugated  roofs  and  the  piles  of  casks  on  the 
bank  with  the  flag  of  the  Royal  Niger  Company,  belonging 
to  the  English  station. 

At  Geba,  as  at  Auru,  the  Niger  is  haunted  by  evil 
spirits,  who  are  fond  of  red,  so  instead  of  advising  us  to 
follow  the  deep  but  narrovv  main  channel  between  the  lofty 
rocks,  our  guide  wanted  us  to  pass  the  rapid  where  the 
Morning  Star,  the  boat  of  Richard  Lander,  the  first 
explorer  who  had  passed  Bussa,  had  been  wrecked. 


FROM    BUSSA  TO   THE    SEA  473 

To  the  great  disappointment  of  our  adviser,  however,  we 
insisted  upon  going  between  two  large  pillars  of  rock  where 
there  was  no  danger  whatever.  The  rocks  hid  all  the  red 
on  board  our  boats,  except  that  in  our  flag. 

Our  boats  came  up  one  after  the  other,  and  anchored  off 
the  bank  near  the  station  of  Geba. 

A  negro  of  Sierra  Leone,  a  commercial  agent,  now  came 
and  placed  himself  at  our  disposal,  pending  the  arrival  of 
the  Governor  of  the  station,  who,  he  informed  us,  had  gone 
inland,  and  would  not  be  back  till  near  nightfall.  Naturally 
I  refused  all  offers  of  help  until  the  Governor  should  return. 
An  hour  later  we  saw  two  canoes  being  paddled  down- 
stream, and  recognized  them  as  those  which  had  followed 
us  since  we  left  Guadjibo.  In  them  were  the  Governor  of 
the  station.  Captain  Carrol,  and  some  English  soldiers  in 
the  service  of  the  Company. 

Having  heard  at  Lakodja,  the  Governor  told  us,  of  our 
approaching  arrival  at  Bussa,  he  had  started  at  once  with  a 
strong  escort,  and  by  forced  marches  had  gone  up  the 
banks  of  the  river,  knocking  up  two  horses  and  getting 
fever,  all  for  the  sake  of  helping  us  in  the  name  of  the 
Company,  and  he  had  come  back  after  all  with  an  empty 
bag  !  At  Leba  he  had  heard  of  our  passage,  and  had  gone 
back,  covering  some  seventy  miles  in  twenty-four  hours,  to 
Fort  Goldie,  where  he  had  waited  for  us  to  breakfast  with 
him.  Not  having  seen  any  whites  there,  however,  he  con- 
cluded we  had  passed,  so  that  by  chance,  and  chance  is 
responsible  for  a  good  many  things,  it  was  I,  who  had  come 
down  from  Timbuktu  to  his  station,  who  welcomed  him  at 
his  own  post  with  the  words,  "  How  do  you  do  ?  " 

This  was  really  one  of  the  most  amusing  incidents  of  our 
journey.  To  a  cynical  observer  the  episode  would  have 
appeared  truly  unique. 

The  situation,  amusing    as    it  was,  was  however  just  a 


474  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

little  strained.  I  confess  too  that  with  the  memory  fresh 
in  my  mind  of  all  the  difficulties  I  had  had  at  Bussa  and  at 
Ilo,  and  which  might  easily  have  led  to  the  loss  of  our 
boats,  I  did  nothing  to  relieve  the  tension  between  us. 

"  Before  I  talk  about  anything  else,"  I  said  to  Carrol,  "  I 
must  tell  you  what  happened  at  Bussa  and  at  Auru,  a  few- 
miles  from  your  post  at  Leba.  I  will  not  accept  the  offers 
of  service  from  the  Company,  nor  from  its  agents,  nor  from 
its  officers,  until  I  know  that  you  had  nothing  to  do  with 
those  difficulties." 

Quite  upset  by  what  I  said,  he  gave  me  his  word,  the 
word  of  a  soldier,  that  he  knew  absolutely  nothing  about 
them.  The  same  assurance  was  given  to  me  later  by 
Major  Festing,  military  Commandant,  and  by  the  civilians 
Messrs.  Drew  and  Wallace. 

The  ice  was  now  broken,  and  we  were  able  inter 
poada  to  allow  ourselves  the  pleasure  of  chatting  about 
European  affairs  with  the  Governor.  He  was  the  first 
European  we  had  seen  for  a  year.  Ah,  if  only  he  had  been 
a  Frenchman  ! 

Carrol  was  an  Irishman,  who  spoke  French  well,  and  he 
lent  us  some  English  and  French  newspapers.  He  told 
us — without  any  details  however — of  the  death  of  Mores, 
and  of  the  massacre  of  a  French  expedition  in  the  west 
on  the  Nikki  side.  We  at  once  compared  dates.  This 
expedition  consisted  perhaps  of  our  comrades  sent  to  bring 
us  the  famous  orders  we  had  waited  for  at  Say  for  five 
months.  On  hearing  this  sad  news,  I  became  eager  to 
hasten  our  march  to  tell  the  people  at  Dahomey  of  the 
disturbed  condition  of  the  districts  round  Say.  Later, 
Taburet  was  able  to  ascertain  by  carefully  reading  the 
English  newspapers,  that  the  expedition  referred  to  was 
that  led  by  Fonssagrives. 

Captain  Carrol,  who  was  really  a  very  good  fellow  and  a 


FROM   BUSSA  TO   THE   SEA  475 

capital  companion,  put  everything  he  possessed  at  our  dis- 
posal, and  that  meant  a  very  great  deal  to  us,  though  really 
he  did  not  own  much,  for  though  the  Royal  Niger  Company 
houses  its  officers  well,  it  treats  them  shabbily,  and  makes 
them  pay  dearly  for  the  few  comforts  they  have. 

We  responded  to  Carrol's  hospitality  by  inviting  him  to 
dinner  the  next  evening.  Fortunately  the  chief  of  Ilo 
had  not  drunk  all  our  champagne.  We  had  plenty  too  of 
the  wine  we  had  brought  as  part  of  our  rations,  which  in 
the  course  of  all  its  travels  had  become  very  good  claret, 
and  with  some  mutton,  for  which  of  course  we  paid  very 
dearly  on  principle,  we  managed  to  give  our  guests  a 
very  respectable  meal.  The  English  officers  were  a  good 
deal  surprised  at  finding  us  so  well  supplied  with 
everything. 

We  were  taking  our  coffee  after  dinner  when  we 
heard  the  whistle  of  one  of  the  Company's  steamers.  They 
were  expecting  the  Sudan^  I  was  told,  an  old  cargo-boat 
which  was  to  take  Mr.  Drew,  executive  officer  of  the  district 
of  Geba,  to  Lakodja.  It  turned  out,  however,  not  to  have 
been  the  Sudan  s  whistle,  but  that  of  a  mere  launch  called  the 
Bargu,  which  had  disturbed  us. 

Carrol  sent  word  to  Major  Festing,  who  was  on  board,  by 
a  canoe,  and  a  few  minutes  afterwards  the  military  Com- 
mandant appeared  in  immaculate  linen  clothes,  the  even- 
ing dress  of  the  colonies.  We  drank  a  glass  of  champagne 
together,  the  officer,  who  seemed  very  worried,  tossing  it  off 
rapidly.  As  Carrol  had  done,  he  declared  he  had  had 
nothing  whatever  to  do  with  the  Bussa  affair,  and  I  readily 
believed  him.  I  still,  however,  felt  some  distrust  of  the 
agents  of  the  Company,  and  I  thought  it  my  duty  to  decline 
the  offer  of  Major  Festing  to  tow  our  boats  with  his  Bargu 
as  far  as  Lokodja.  I  thought  I  had  better  first  have  an 
explanation  with  the  agents   of  the   Company   properly 


476  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

so  called.  I  was  told  that  Mr.  Wallace,  the  general  agent, 
was  expected  soon,  and  as  he  was  on  his  way  up  the 
river,  we  were  sure  to  meet  him. 

Still  this  did  not  prevent  our  fraternizing  with  Carrol  and 
Festing ;  they  spoke  French,  and  we  could  jabber  English 
after  a  fashion,  though  Taburet  was  the  only  one  who  knew 
it  pretty  well.  In  the  morning  two  other  officers  arrived, 
one  to  replace,  at  Leba,  a  lieutenant  who  had  lately  died, 
and  the  other  on  his  way  to  Geba  or  Guadjibo.  Both  had 
recently  been  wounded  with  poisoned  arrows  in  a  fight  with 
the  natives.  The  officers  of  the  Royal  Niger  Company 
evidently  have  rather  a  rough  time  of  it. 

Taburet  went  to  see  the  sick  at  the  station,  where  there 
were  neither  medicine  nor  other  remedies  to  be  had.  Just 
as  we  were  leaving  we  saw  some  negroes  approaching, 
loaded  with  a  supply  of  beer  and  whisky  for  us.  This 
delicate  attention  from  Festing  and  Carrol  was  the  better 
appreciated  as  we  had  been  entirely  deprived  of  these 
luxuries  ever  since  we  had  left  Kayes. 

As  a  return  gift  we  left  the  little  organ  at  Geba,  which 
had  been  our  great  joy  at  Say.  It  now  belongs  to 
Carrol's  successor,  for  we  hear  that  the  good  Captain  has 
returned  safe  and  sound  to  his  native  country,  rescued 
at  last  from  the  hands  of  the  Royal  Niger  Company. 

At  about  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the  I2th  we 
left  Geba,  exchanging  salutes  with  our  flags  with  the  station. 
Our  old  guide  Amadu  remained  there,  but  Major  Festing 
lent  us  a  man  in  the  service  of  the  Company,  who  was, 
however,  quite  useless  to  us,  as  navigation  here,  difficult 
enough  for  large  vessels,  was  perfectly  easy  for  us  now  the 
water  was  so  high.  We  had  but  to  let  ourselves  go,  and 
we  went  fast  enough. 

We  reached  Rabba,  which  seemed  an  unimportant  factory, 
about   five  o'clock.      This  is  the  nearest   point  to  Bidda, 


FROM   BUSSA  TO   THE   SEA 


477 


the  capital  of  Nupe,  which  we  knew  to  be  at  open  war  with 
the  Company. 

There  are  no  whites  at  the  factory  of  Rabba,  and  we  did 
not  have  any  deaHngs  with  the  Sierra  Leonese  who  is  in 
charge  of  it. 

We  had  been  anchored  for  an  hour,  when  the  steam 
launch   Bargu^  with   Major   Festing  on  board,  joined   us. 


These  launches,  of  which  it  is  a  pity  there  are  not  more  on 
the  Niger,  are  little  steamers  armed  with  a  machine- 
gun.  They  carry  an  officer  and  some  ten  riflemen,  who 
act  as  the  river  police  only,  and  have  nothing  to  do  with 
transporting  merchandise.  Their  office  is  by  no  means  a 
sinecure. 

The  voyage  began  to  tell  very  much  on  our  men  now. 
It  was  not  only  that  they  were  very  tired,  but  the  rain  was 
continuous   all  night,  and  sometimes  also  in  the  day,  so 


478 


THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 


that  we  had  to  put  up  the  tents  on  the  decks.  These  tents, 
moreover,  were  no  longer  water-tight,  and  the  sleeping- 
place  in  the  damp  boats  was  very  small. 

Our  negroes  generally  managed  to  stow  themselves  away 
under  shelter  somehow,  often  one  on  top  of  the  other,  but 
I  should  have  liked  better  weather  for  this  last  bit  of  the 
journey,  so  that  they  might  have  been  able  to  get  over  all 


they  had  gone  through  at  Bussa.  They  made  up  for  their 
discomfort  at  night  by  getting  up  late  in  the  morning. 
All  this,  however,  did  not  prevent  us  from  making  good 
headway  without  any  over  pressure,  borne  on  as  we  were 
by  the  strong  current.  On  the  1 3th  we  covered  forty-five 
miles,  going  on  until  eight  in  the  evening,  just  in  time  to 
anchor  before  we  were  overtaken  by  a  tornado,  and  an 
awful  one  too.  Fortunately  we  found  shelter  in  a  little 
gulf,  and  escaped  with  a  good  ducking. 


FROM   BUSSA  TO   THE   SEA  479 

On  the  14th,  judging  by  the  rate  at  which  we  went,  the 
current  must  have  been  yet  stronger.  We  made  some  fifty 
miles,  passed  the  night  near  Igga,  and  arrived  there  at 
eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  on  the  15  th. 

The  country  between  Geba  and  Igga  is  uninteresting ;  no 
villages,  or  scarcely  any,  were  passed,  and  there  was  no  cul- 
tivation. The  appearance  of  the  banks  is  much  what  it  is 
between  Say  and  Bussa  ;  a  few  karites  occur  here  and  there, 
that  is  all.  We  met  a  canoe  now  and  then  only.  The  oil- 
palms,  which  had  begun  to  appear  beyond  Say,  now  became 
more  numerous,  but  the  country  still  appeared  deserted. 

In  a  large  plain  near  Igga  there  is  a  factory  kept  by  a 
white  man.  Just  before  we  reached  it  we  saw  a  big  boat 
called  the  Nigritian,  which  was  formerly  the  pontoon  of 
Yola.  The  Royal  Niger  Company  had  just  been  driven 
from  the  Benue  and  from  the  Adamawa ;  its  trading  agents 
had  been  recalled,  together  with  the  pontoon  they  had  been 
authorized  to  use  on  the  river.  This  must  have  been  a 
very  severe  blow  to  the  Company,  for  much  of  the  ivory 
exported  through  their  agents  came  from  Adamawa  and 
Muri. 

The  Ribago,  a  pretty  little  craft  of  from  six  to  seven 
hundred  tons,  is  moored  at  Igga.  She  is  the  best  boat 
belonging  to  the  Company.  She  brings  down  palm-oil  in 
the  nut  before  it  is  extracted,  karites  and  other  articles  for 
export.  The  oil  is  of  a  very  fine  quality  indeed.  It  will 
probably  be  the  Ribago  which  will  tow  us  down-stream 
if  all  is  satisfactorily  settled  with  the  Company  about 
Bussa  and  Auru. 

The  agent  at  Igga  thought  we  should  find  Mr.  Wallace 
at  Lokodja.  I  was  very  anxious  to  see  him,  for  it  is  with 
him  I  must  get  the  misunderstanding,  if  misunderstanding 
there  were,  explained.  His  word  alone  would  sufifice  to 
exonerate  the  Company  from  blame,  and  only  if  he  could 


48o  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

give  me  that  word,  should  I  care  to  accept  his  good  offices 
on  my  behalf. 

After  passing  an  hour  at  our  anchorage  at  Igga,  we 
started  for  Lokodja  to  look  for  Mr.  Wallace,  whom  it  was 
very  difficult  to  catch.  Fortunately  for  us,  the  current  was 
still  very  strong,  but  navigation  was  very  tiring,  for  with  the 
banks  inundated  as  they  were,  it  was  difficult  to  find  the 
bottom  amongst  the  tall  grass.  Late  in  the  evening  we  at 
last  anchored  near  the  left  bank,  and  landed  to  cook  a 
hasty  meal.  Fili,  one  of  the  coolies  who  looked  after  the 
kitchen  department,  had  cleared  a  corner  of  bushes  and  lit 
a  fire  when,  all  of  a  sudden,  the  men  made  a  rush  for 
the  boats  screaming  manians  !  manians  !  They  had  been 
attacked  by  the  black  ants  they  call  manians,  the  bite  of 
which  is  very  severe.  No  cooking  for  us  to-night,  no  meal 
however  simple  !  No  sleep  either  for  our  poor  men,  for  the 
rain  began  to  pour  down  again.  Worse  still,  the  terrible 
manians  began  to  climb  on  board  by  the  anchor-chains,  by 
the  ropes  of  the  grappling-hooks,  by  everything,  in  fact, 
which  held  us  to  the  bank.  They  had  come  to  storm  the 
barges,  and  the  ropes  and  chains  became  black  with  their 
swarms.  The  only  way  we  were  able  to  check  this  novel 
kind  of  invasion  was  by  lowering  the  chains  and  ropes  into 
the  water. 

This  horribly  comfortless  night  over,  we  started  again 
with  almost  empty  stomachs.  The  scenery  was  very 
picturesque,  but  although  the  water  was  high  we  felt  the 
boats  grate  on  the  rocks  lining  the  bed  of  the  stream. 
Navigation  must  be  generally  far  from  easy  here. 

The  vegetation  now  became  denser,  and  the  oil-palm  of 
much  more  frequent  occurrence.  There  were,  however,  few 
villages,  and  they  became  further  apart,  on  the  banks  at 
least,  as  we  advanced.  At  last  in  the  evening  our  pilot 
told  us  we  were  approaching  Lokodja.     Picturesque  hills, 


FROM    BUSSA  TO   THE   SEA  481 

from  about  six  hundred  to  a  thousand  feet  high,  Hned  the 
right  bank,  whilst  on  the  left  we  could  see  the  mouth  of 
the  Benue,  now  greatly  increased  in  width  by  inundations. 

About  six  o'clock  we  came  in  sight  of  the  huts  of  the 
village,  rising  in  tiers  from  the  slopes  of  a  hill,  their  zinc 
roofs  shining  amongst  the  verdure  in  the  glow  of  the  setting 
sun.  We  were  at  Lokodja,  and  as  it  was  nearly  night  we 
anchored  off  the  bank. 

Here  we  found  Mr.  Drew,  the  executive  officer  of  the 
Company  for  the  Lokodja-Geba  district,  for  whom  we  had 
waited  in  vain  at  Geba,  and  also  another  officer  who  spoke 
French. 

We  were  received  with  all  due  etiquette  and  invited  to 
dinner.  We  talked  about  the  river  ;  and  Mr.  Drew,  who  did 
not  allow  himself  to  show  any  surprise  at  our  having  passed 
safely  down  it,  must  really  have  been  astonished.  He  told 
us  he  had  himself  achieved  the  arduous  task  of  going  over 
the  rapids  in  a  light  canoe  accompanied  by  one  man  only. 
He  had  intended  to  go  down  to  Bussa  by  the  channel  used 
by  the  natives.  He  had  even  been  capsized,  and  dragged 
down  into  the  whirlpool.  He  owed  his  life  entirely  to  his 
canoe-man,  who  had  plunged  after  him  and  brought  him  up 
from  the  bottom.  He  still  had  the  scar  of  a  wound  he  had 
got  from  the  sharp  flints,  amongst  which  he  had  been  rolled 
over  and  over. 

Major  Festing,  who  came  in  to  dessert,  invited  us  to  go 
to  him  the  next  day.  We  cut  but  sorry  figures  beside  our 
hosts  in  their  unimpeachable  costumes,  for  our  clothes  were 
torn  by  our  struggles  in  the  bush,  our  gold  lace  was 
tarnished,  our  breeches  were  patched,  our  boots  had  been 
bought  in  the  country,  and  our  helmets  were  terribly 
battered  about. 

I  do  not  know  which  agent  of  the  Company  it  was  who 
refused  to  receive  the  leader  of  a  French  expedition  because 


482  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

of  his  disreputable  appearance,  with  untrimmed  beard 
and  clothes  in  rags.  Times  are  greatly  changed  since 
then,  or  rather  perhaps  the  instructions  given  have  been 
modified. 

The  next  day  we  had  breakfast  with  Major  Festing,  and 
were  most  cordially  received.  Our  host  was  then  Com- 
mander-in-chief of  the  troops  in  the  service  of  the  Niger 
Company.  Lokodja  was  his  headquarters,  and  his  soldiers, 
who  were  Haussas,  were  well  lodged.  Their  cantonments 
are  charming,  and  the  Major's  house  had  every  English 
comfort  that  could  possibly  be  expected.  Big  airy  rooms 
adorned  with  weapons,  looking-glasses  and  hunting  pictures, 
etc.,  native  mats  on  the  ground,  flowers  growing  in  the 
copper  pots  manufactured  in  the  country.  Everything 
very  simple  and  suitable.  Music  was  going  on  whilst  we 
were  at  breakfast,  as  if  we  were  on  board  an  admiral's 
flag-ship  or  at  the  Grand  Hotel  in  Paris.  Children  played 
to  us  on  the  flute,  regaling  us  with  the  familiar  airs  of 
the  cafe-concerts  of  France.  We  had  printed  mentis^  dainty 
salt-cellars,  caviare,  whisky-and-soda,  good  stout,  etc. 
Oh,  what  a  delight  it  was  to  eat  a  well-served  meal  on  a 
table-cloth  decked  with  fresh  flowers  !  If  only  we  had  had 
a  few  ladies  in  light  summer  costumes  to  share  it  with  us, 
it  would  indeed  have  been  complete. 

Major  Festing  most  courteously  placed  at  our  disposal 
as  interpreter,  a  Haussa  sergeant  of  his  from  the  Senegal, 
who  had  been  at  one  time  in  the  service  of  Mizon,  and  also 
of  De  Brazza.  He  spoke  a  little  French,  and  had  been 
one  of  the  last  to  leave  the  station  of  Yola.  He  told  us  of 
all  his  strange  wanderings  to  and  fro,  and  piloted  us  about 
the  town  when  we  went  to  make  our  purchases,  for  we  did 
make  some  purchases  at  Lokodja.  To  begin  with,  we 
supplemented  our  stores  of  provisions,  which  was  very 
necessary,  if  we  wished  suitably  to  return  the  hospitality 


FROM    BUSSA   TO   THE   SEA  483 

we  received.  We  had,  moreover,  very  little  of  the  dinner 
service  left  which  we  had  brought  from  France  three  years 
before.  We  had,  it  will  be  remembered,  sent  to  the 
bottom  of  the  river  everything  not  absolutely  indispens- 
able, and  we  wanted  some  claret  and  champagne-glasses 
badly. 

The  natives  of  Lokodja  were  very  civilized,  using  table 
napkins,  basins,  dishes  with  covers,  china  flower-pots,  etc., 
sold  to  them  by  the  Company,  or  rather  bartered  for  native 
productions,  for  there  is  no  money  currency  in  the  Niger 
districts.  The  wages  of  the  troops,  labour,  and  raw 
material  are  all  paid  for  in  merchandise,  such  as  salt,  stuffs 
or  ware  of  different  kinds.  The  Company  seem  to  make 
considerable  profit  on  these  transactions.  As  for  us,  we 
were  rich  enough  to  be  generous.  Suleyman,  our  inter- 
preter, received  orders  to  buy  everything  offered  at  the 
price  asked,  for  we  should  only  have  to  throw  the  things 
which  were  too  heavy  to  take  on,  into  the  water  later.  So 
we  gave  silk  drawers  for  a  dozen  eggs,  and  long  strings  of 
pearls,  false  ones  of  course,  for  three  bananas. 

The  generosity  of  Commandant  Mattei,  agent  of  the  old 
French  Niger  Company,  whom  we  so  clumsily  allowed  an 
English  Company  to  supplant,  has  become  proverbial,  and 
the  natives  often  quote  it  apropos  of  the  stinginess  of  the 
Niger  Company.  I  am  very  sure  that  our  stay  at  Lokodja 
did  nothing  to  lessen  the  fame  of  French  liberality.  The 
natives  of  the  banks  of  the  Niger  still  bemoan  the  loss  of 
French  traders  and  the  hauling  down  of  the  French  flag. 

Lokodja,  which  we  were  able  to  visit,  is  a  fairly  large 
village,  very  picturesquely  situated  on  a  mountain.  It  is 
cut  across  by  ravines  and  shaded  by  banana  and  papaw- 
trees,  with  numerous  oil-palms.  There  is  a  splendid  view 
of  the  meeting  of  the  Benue  and  the  Niger.  The  remains 
of  the  steam-boat  SokkotOy  which  was  wrecked  on  a  rock, 


484  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

are  still  to  be  seen,  and  further  down  the  river  are  other 
stranded  boats. 

We  were  told  that  Lokodja  is  the  principal  town  of  an 
extensive  district  numbering  from  twenty  to  thirty  thousand 
inhabitants.  The  town  properly  so  called,  however,  does 
not  contain  more  than  from  four  to  five  thousand  at  the 
very  most.  The  market,  which  is  very  extensive,  is  much 
frequented,  and  is  held  in  the  afternoon.  All  manner  of 
European  articles  are  offered  for  sale  in  it.  The  only 
native  industries  are  the  beating  of  copper  and  the  manu- 
facture of  rather  peculiar  drawers  made  of  two  pieces  of 
stuff  sewn  together  and  adorned  with  a  kind  of  open 
work.  The  blacksmiths,  who  are  very  skilful  in  a  kind 
of  repousse  work  done  with  a  pointed  instrument  on  copper, 
make  vases,  cups,  and  ewers  of  it,  which  are  really  very 
original  in  design. 

Most  curious  of  all  the  specialities  of  Lokodja,  however, 
are  the  games  and  the  tam-tams  held  there.  In  the  former, 
the  performers  are  all  young  graceful  girls  who  are  perfectly 
nude.  I  have  visited  many  towns  of  low  morality.  I  know 
Naples,  Port  Said,  and  Colombo.  I  have  seen  the  so-called 
flower-boats  of  China  and  the  Japanese  yoshivaras  in  that 
Orient  where  everything  is  possible,  but  never  did  I  witness 
anything  to  be  compared  with  what  goes  on  at  Lokodja. 

The  chief  of  the  village  is  the  well-known  Abegga,  and 
the  name  calls  up  for  us  French  all  manner  of  memories. 
Abegga  is  really  almost  a  relation  of  mine,  for  he  is  a  freed 
man  who  was  bought  at  Sokoto,  and  given  his  liberty  by  my 
Uncle  Barth.  Abegga  followed  his  master  to  England  first 
and  then  to  Germany.  Back  again  in  Africa,  he  entered  the 
service  of  Commandant  Mattei  as  interpreter,  and  to-day 
he  is  king  of  Lokodja.     Such  are  the  chances  of  life  ! 

We  were  received  by  him  with  effusion,  for  we  awoke  all 
his  old  memories.    Taburet,  who  from  his  translations  from 


FROM    BUSSA   TO   THE    SEA 


485 


Earth's  book  knew  more  about  Abegga  than  Abegga  did 
himself,  had  a  long  talk  with  him  in  English.  In  the  end 
we  sent  our  royal  friend,  Baudry's  hunting-piece  as  a 
present,  by  the  hands  of  his  envoy. 

We  expected  every  minute  to  hear  of  the  arrival  of  Mr. 
Wallace,  but  he  did  not  come.  I  could  not  remain  at 
Lokodja  for  ever,  so  I   took  Mr.   Drew's  word  for  it  that 


MOUNT   RENNEL   ABOVE   LOKODJA. 


neither  he  nor  the  Company  had  had  anything  to  do  with 
our  difficulties  at  Bussa  and  Auru,  accepting  the  offer  made 
to  me  with  so  much  urgency  that  we  should  be  towed 
down-stream  by  the  Ribago,  the  steamboat  we  had  met 
at  Igga,  and  which  had  now  come  down  again  to  Lokodja. 
We  were  to  start  at  two  o'clock.  After  we  had  made 
our  farewell  visits  I  went  to  Mr.  Drew  and  said,  "  I  have 
decided  to  accept  your  offer  of  having  us  towed  down- 
stream."    Then  I  added  rather  awkwardly,  "  How  much  ?  " 


486  THE   EXPLORATIOxN   OF   THE   NIGER 

"Five  pounds  for  each  white  man,  and  one  for  each  black, 
was  the  reply. 

A  good  price  truly  just  for  towing  us  down-stream  !  It 
would  come  to  1450  francs  altogether  !  I  merely,  however, 
said  "  Oh  ! "  just  to  relieve  my  feelings. 

Now  was  not  this  rather  sharp  practice  on  the  part  of 
the  Company  ?  After  pressing  me  so  much  to  accept  a 
service,  I  had  imagined  that  it  was  offered  gratuitously  as 
between  one  friendly  government  and  another,  and  what 
had  annoyed  me  was  the  thought  of  being  under  an  obliga- 
tion to  the  Royal  Niger  Company.  But  I  was  quite  wrong  ; 
I  was  dealing  with  the  traders  of  the  Company  only,  and 
that  put  me  at  my  ease. 

They  may  have  thought  that  having  come  so  far  I  should 
not  have  money  enough  left  to  pay  them,  and  that  I  should 
have  to  leave  in  their  debt,  but  I  simply  said  to  Mr.  Drew — 

"  All  right ;  I  will  come  back  and  settle  with  you  in  a 
minute." 

A  few  moments  later  I  arrived  with  my  bag  of  crown- 
pieces.  I  had  not,  however,  brought  enough  after  all,  for  by 
some  misunderstanding,  no  doubt,  we  really  had  to  pay  six 
pounds  for  each  white  man,  and  twenty-five  shillings  for 
each  black,  which  mounted  the  sum-total  up  to  1800  francs. 
However,  I  was  able  to  make  up  the  difference  at  once  all 
but  two  sous,  I  think,  and  those  I  sent  by  Digui. 

No  doubt  Carrol  foresaw  all  these  mercenary  dealings 
when  we  were  at  Geba,  when  he  made  such  a  fuss  about 
paying  Taburet  for  his  attendance  on  the  people  who  were 
ill  at  the  station,  and  wanted  to  give  me  money  for  the 
miserable  little  musical-box  which  I  had  been  so  glad  to 
leave  with  him  as  a  token  of  my  gratitude. 

The  Royal  Niger  Company  had  in  fact  treated  our 
expedition  as  a  party  of  traders,  and  I  preferred  that  both 
for  myself  and  for  France.     I  do  not  therefore  owe  the 


FROM    BUSSA  TO   THE    SEA  487 

members  of  that  Company  any  more  gratitude  than  I 
should  the  conductor  of  an  omnibus  in  Paris  when  I  have 
paid  him  my  six  sous. 

The  loading  of  the  Ribago  went  on  slowly,  but  at  five 
o'clock  we  started ;  the  pipers  of  Major  Festing  came  down 
to  the  quay  and  played  the  Marseillaise^  whilst  the  guns  of 
the  station  fired  a  salute  as,  towed  by  the  Ribago,  we  left 
for  Assaba. 

Now  for  a  couple  of  words  about  the  Royal  Niger 
Company.  I  will  say  nothing  of  the  treaties  or  of  the 
constitutive  acts  which  preceded  its  formation,  for  I  have 
not  got  to  draw  up  an  indictment  against  it.  I  will  confine 
myself  to  quoting  what  Naval  Lieutenant  Agoult  said  on 
the  subject — "  The  Company  is  but  the  screen  behind 
which  England  hides  herself" 

To  the  great  detriment  of  the  shareholders,  the  Company 
tries  to  create  an  Empire,  and  in  view  of  its  acquisitions  of 
territory,  to  make  head  against  the  revolts  caused  by  its 
rapacity,  it  is  obliged  to  maintain  an  army  relatively  large. 

This  necessity  causes  a  mischievous  friction  between  the 
military  and  civilian  officers  in  the  service  of  the  Queen, 
they  and  the  trading  agents  sometimes  carrying  their 
animosity  to  each  other  so  far  as  to  come  to  blows. 

Then  again  the  officers  are  anything  but  well  treated  by 
the  Company.  Like  the  agents,  they  are  taxed  and  taxed 
again.  Heaven  only  knows  what  an  arduous  profession  theirs 
is.  Carrol  was  always  on  the  road,  and  Festing,  when  we 
saw  him,  was  suffering  horribly  from  a  liver  complaint.  He 
had  just  returned  from  a  twenty  days'  campaign  against  the 
villages  in  the  bush  on  the  left  bank,  and  he  was  so  tired  he 
could  not  remain  in  the  saddle.  We  were  told  of  several 
officers  having  recently  been  killed  by  poisoned  arrows,  and 
of  one  who  had  died  from  eating  poison  in  a  village  on  the 
banks  of  the  river. 


488  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

Moreover,  this  armed  force  and  all  the  courage  and  devo- 
tion of  those  who  command  it,  fail  to  secure  peace.  Whilst 
we  were  on  our  voyage,  the  horsemen  of  Bidda  had  come 
down  to  pillage  as  far  as  the  bank  opposite  Lokodja.  It  is 
only  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood  of  the  stations  that 
things  are  quiet.  The  steam-launches  have  to  be  constantly 
going  up  and  down  the  arms  of  the  river,  especially  in  the 
delta,  to  keep  the  natives  in  awe  with  their  riflemen  and 
their  machine-guns.  It  is  rare  for  a  boat  to  go  down  the 
river  without  being  fired  at.  At  Abo,  lower  down-stream, 
the  people  were  astonished  that  we  had  been  able  to  come 
so  far  without  any  fighting.  It  may  have  been  the  effect 
of  the  flag  we  carried,  for  the  tricolour  flag  is  still  beloved 
and  regretted  in  these  parts  for  the  sake  of  the  memory  of 
Commandant  Mattei. 

The  Company  does  not  hold  the  country  beyond  the 
banks  of  the  river.  Then,  again,  there  are  no  means  of 
communication  between  one  place  and  another.  Truly  we 
French  may  be  proud  of  our  work  in  the  French  Sudan. 
We  have  done  better  than  the  English  on  the  Upper  Niger ; 
our  colonization  is  far  superior  to  theirs.  On  the  Lower 
Niger  they  have  neither  telegraph  wires,  for  these  go  no 
further  than  Akassa  and  Brass,  at  the  mouth  of  the  river, 
no  road  at  all  to  be  compared  with  our  line  of  revictual- 
ling  posts,  and  of  course,  need  we  add  ?  they  have  no 
railway ! 

It  seems  to  me  a  fact  that  of  all  the  Niger  districts,  the 
richest  and  the  most  favoured  by  Nature  from  every  point 
of  view  are  those  we  occupy  in  the  French  Sudan. 

Assaba  is  the  residence  of  the  Agent-general  of  the 
Company,  and  there  is  a  hospital  there  for  the  use  of 
the  employes.  When  the  French  mission  of  the  Peres 
du  Saint  Esprit  left  Lokodja  it  established  itself  at 
Assaba. 


FROM    BUSSA   TO   THE   SEA  489 

A  missionary  was  waiting  for  us  when  we  landed,  and  I 
went  at  once  to  his  house.  The  situation  is  beautiful 
enough,  but  what  a  hard  life  the  Fathers  lead  !  They  are, 
I  believe,  rather  harassed  by  the  Company,  as  much 
because  they  are  French  as  because  they  are  Catholic,  and 
as  a  result  their  tale  of  converts  is  not  very  long.  Some 
Sisters  of  Charity  work  in  connection  with  them,  and  make 
their  way  on  foot  from  village  to  village  in  the  interior, 
marching  at  night  to  avoid  the  heat  of  the  sun,  and  visiting 
the  Christian  natives  far  away  from  the  river. 

A  few  hours'  walk  off,  the  Fathers  told  us,  are  some  big, 
very  big,  villages,  into  which  alone  they  are  able  to  pene- 
trate, not  without  considerable  danger  to  life  sometimes. 
Terrible  scenes  of  human  sacrifice  and  cannibalism  have 
been  witnessed  by  the  devoted  Sisters.  Such  atrocities 
would  never  be  tolerated  in  the  French  Sudan. 

But  what  does  all  that  matter  to  the  Company  as  long 
as  it  can  buy  its  palm-oil  at  the  market-price,  a  price  fixed 
by  force  ? 

That  evening  we  had  to  dine  with  us  the  only  Father  of 
the  mission  just  then  at  Assaba,  and  two  Sisters,  one  the 
Superior,  Sister  Damien,  a  pale-faced  Italian,  whose  hands 
had  become  almost  transparent,  and  whose  features  were 
wasted  through  successive  attacks  of  fever.  For  all  that 
she  still  eagerly  pursued  her  vocation.  I  know  nothing 
finer  than  the  life  led  by  these  women  at  the  extreme  advance 
guard  of  civilization,  exposed  to  the  heat  of  the  sun,  to 
fever,  to  all  manner  of  fatigue,  to  the  indifference  of  the 
negroes,  and  sometimes,  as  if  all  that  were  not  enough,  to 
the  malice  of  the  whites. 

I  imagine  that  it  was  long  since  the  Father  and  the 
Sisters  had  enjoyed  themselves  so  much.  Unfortunately  a 
tornado  burst  upon  us  in  the  middle  of  dinner,  and  at  eight 
o'clock  we  had  to  take  refuge  in  Father  Hacqu art's  rooms, 


490  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

through  the  cracks  in  the  roof  of  which,  however,  the  rain 
poured  in  torrents. 

We  escorted  our  guests  back  to  the  mission  house 
through  the  rain. 

That  same  night  the  long-expected  Mr.  Wallace,  Agent- 
general  of  the  Company,  arrived  on  the  launch  Nupe.  I 
went  to  call  on  him  the  next  day.  After  congratulating 
me  on  our  successful  journey,  he  renewed  the  assurances 
already  made  to  me  by  Carrol,  Festing,  and  Drew.  I 
heard  later  that  Mr.  Flint,  another  important  member  of 
the  Company,  was  also  on  board  the  Nupe,  But  he  pre- 
ferred to  avoid  us. 

When  we  left  we  were  able  to  rejoice  the  hearts  of  the 
missionaries  of  Assaba,  with  a  few  bales  of  stuffs  and 
knick-knacks,  with  which  they  could  reward  their  faithful 
natives.  W^e  wanted  to  stop  at  Onitcha,  the  cross  of  the 
mission  of  which  we  could  already  see,  to  give  a  greeting 
to  the  Peres  de  Lyon  stationed  there,  but  the  captain  of 
the  Ribago  told  us  he  had  been  ordered  not  to  go  there, 
although  Mr.  Wallace  had  assured  me  to  the  contrary  only 
a  minute  before. 

Avoiding  Onitcha,  therefore,  we  went  to  anchor  for  a 
few  moments,  first  at  Illuchi,  and  then  at  Abo,  where  the 
Ribago  was  to  leave  us. 

The  Company,  however,  was  determined  to  escort  us  to 
the  very  threshold  of  their  territories.  Those  who  know 
what  it  is  to  be  suspected,  will  involuntarily  compare  this 
conduct  to  the  way  in  which,  in  certain  shops,  customers 
are  escorted  to  the  door  lest  they  should  steal  anything  on 
their  way  out. 

No  doubt,  without  being  exactly  sharpers,  we  might  have 
got  a  lot  of  information,  and  have  made  observations  on 
many  things  if  we  had  remained  longer  on  the  river. 
Would  that  have  been  altogether  to  the  advantage  of  the 


FROM   BUSSA  TO   THE   SEA  491 

Company  ?  D'Agoult  says  he  saw  the  steamer  laden  with 
spirits  going  by,  yet  all  the  time,  according  to  the  Company, 
all  its  subjects,  white  or  black,  would,  under  its  beneficial 
influence,  become  teetotalers  or  total  abstainers. 

It  was  politic  too,  perhaps,  to  hide  from  us  the  troubled 
state  of  the  district  all  along  the  river,  and  the  precarious 
position  of  the  Company.  Do  its  members  know,  I 
wonder,  how  happy  these  discontented  regions  once  were 
under  the  French  Company,  and  all  that  would  result 
from  the  mere  presence  once  again  of  the  French  flag  ? 

As  for  me,  however,  I  prefer  to  think  simply  that  this 
obsequiousness  of  the  Company  towards  us,  this  insistence 
on  our  accepting  the  ofler  of  being  towed  down-stream, 
and  paying  for  the  service  rendered,  this  eagerness  to  see 
us  off,  had  but  one  aim,  and  that  aim  a  humane  one. 

We  were  escorted  to  Wari  to  save  us  from  another  attack 
from  the  Patanis.  Our  departure  was  hastened  because 
we  were  tired,  worn  out,  eager  to  taste  once  more  the 
joys  of  home  and  family  life.  All  serious  thinkers,  whose 
opinion  is  of  any  weight,  and  who  know  anything 
about  English  ways,  will  agree  with  me,  irony  or  no 
irony  ! 

We  dined  at  Abo,  and  when  night  had  fallen,  a  launch 
arrived  at  our  anchorage,  which  was  to  take  charge  of  us. 
On  board  was  a  bright,  jovial  young  officer,  Lieutenant 
Aron  by  name,  of  Australian  birth.  Judging  from  what  we 
saw  of  him,  Australia  must  be  to  England  what  the  south 
of  France  is  to  the  French.  Did  he  not  tell  us  one  day 
that  the  Company  had  a  post  at  Kano,  another  at  Kuka, 
and  twelve  big  steamers  on  the  river?  But  for  these 
venial  exaggerations  he  was  a  charming  companion,  what 
the  English  call  a  very  good  fellow,  who  made  the  hours 
we  were  in  his  company  pass  very  pleasantly.  We  shall 
all.  Lieutenant  Aron  included,  long  remember  the  dinner 


492  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE    NIGER 

we  had  together  on  the  Kano,  as  the  Ganagana  pontoon  is 
called,  whilst  a  tornado  was  raging,  and  he  sung  at  the 
top  of  his  voice  all  the  comic  songs  in  the  Anglo-Franco 
repertory,  to  the  accompaniment  of  the  flute  and  the  har- 
monium, whilst  quaffing  the  whisky  and  the  claret  we  still 
had  left. 

As  is  well  known,  the  Niger  flings  itself  into  the  sea  in 
an  immense  number  of  branches.  Two  of  these  branches, 
viz.  that  of  Brass  and  of  Forcados,  are  more  practicable 
for  navigation  than  any  others.  The  first  belongs  to 
the  Royal  Niger  Company,  the  second  to  the  Niger 
Protectorate,  a  regular  colony  governed  directly  from 
England,  and  I  was  told  that  the  competition  in  trade 
between  the  two  was  very  keen. 

I  had  long  intended  to  go  down  to  the  sea,  not  by  the 
Brass,  but  by  the  Forcados  branch,  which  would  enable 
me  to  get  away  from  the  Royal  Niger  Company  sooner, 
and  pass  a  few  days  in  the  English  districts  on  the  coast 
belonging  to  the  Niger  Protectorate. 

I  preferred  to  embark  there  than  in  a  port  belonging  to 
the  Company.  The  two  Companies  are,  as  already  stated, 
more  or  less  rivals,  and  those  on  the  French  despatch  boat 
Ardent  had  cause  to  speak  in  terms  of  high  praise  of  the 
way  in  which  they  were  treated  by  the  English  of  the 
Protectorate. 

Lieutenant  Aron  accompanied  us  on  the  Forcados  branch 
as  far  as  Wari,  where  resides  an  English  vice-consul.  We 
were  breakfasting  on  board  the  launch  when  we  came  in 
sight  of  the  houses  of  Wari.  Our  three  barges  were  roped 
together,  and  their  three  tricolour  flags  flying.  The  launch, 
however,  could  not  hoist  the  British  flag,  its  gear  having 
somehow  got  damaged. 

The  Dantec  now  brought  us  up  to  the  stockade,  where 
we  awaited  the  arrival  of  the  officers  of  the  Protectorate. 


P^ROM   BUSSA  TO   THE   SEA  493 

Then  between  ourselves  and  our  guide  began  an  animated 
and  certainly  very  curious  colloquy ;  astonishment  on  one 
side,  vehement  explanations  on  the  other.  What  changes 
in  the  expressions  of  the  faces  of  those  engaged  in  the 
conversation !  What  shouts  of  laughter !  What  were 
they  saying?  This  is  what  I  thought  I  made  out.  See- 
ing our  three  barges  each  flying  a  tricolour  flag,  and  the 
launch  with  no  colours  at  all,  the  English  of  the  Protector- 
ate had  thought  we  had  retaliated  on  the  Company  by  a 
skilful  manoeuvre  for  the  bad  turn  they  had  done  the 
French  the  year  before.  "  The  Company,"  they  said,  "  had 
intended  to  confiscate  our  barges,  but  they  being  well 
manned  and  well  armed,  had  instead  captured  the  launch 
and  taken  her  down  under  the  French  flag  to  Wari." 

No,  I  cannot  have  understood  the  conversation,  I  must 
have  dreamed  it  all  !  The  English  never  could  have 
believed  us  capable  of  such  a  thing,  and  would  never  have 
suggested  it,  even  in  their  own  language.     And  yet ! 

Who  was  it  told  me  that  the  Protectorate  and  the 
Company  were  enemies  at  heart,  and  that  the  English  of 
Wari  are  always  brooding  on  the  damages  paid  to  the 
Niger  traders  on  account  of  a  certain  attack  on  the  people 
of  Brass  from  Akassa  ? 

No  doubt  all  these  are  merely  such  calumnies  as  are 
always  circulating. 

We  shall,  all  five  of  us,  always  remember  the  welcome 
we  received  at  Wari  from  the  agents  of  the  Protectorate, 
and  this  memory  will  be  the  more  cherished  because  a  few 
days  after  our  return  to  France  we  heard  the  terrible  news 
of  the  death  of  several  of  them,  who,  having  gone  on  a 
mission  to  the  interior  almost  unarmed,  were  massacred  by 
the  natives  of  Benin. 

We   had  the  best  of  receptions   at  Wari ;   the  officers 


494  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

even  gave  up  their  rooms  and  their  very  beds  to  us,  know- 
ing how  greatly  we  should  appreciate  such  comforts.  We 
became  much  attached  to  our  new  friends. 

At  Wari  I  got  rid  of  all  the  rest  of  my  stores,  which 
would  have  been  an  encumbrance  to  me  on  my  return 
journey.  There  were  plenty  for  the  missionaries  and  for 
the  servants  at  the  Consulate.  Suzanne,  our  bicycle, 
rejoiced  the  heart  of  a  Sierra  Leonese  ;  the  Dantec,  with  a 
few  bottles  of  claret,  delighted  Lieutenant  Aron  ;  even  the 
Aube  we  left  as  a  token  of  our  friendship  with  the  agents 
at  the  Consulate.  We  were  generous,  no  doubt,  but  unless 
we  had  sunk  our  barges  when  we  got  to  the  sea,  what  else 
could  we  have  done  with  them  ? 

As  for  the  Davousty  it  took  us  two  days  to  empty, 
dismantle,  and  take  her  to  pieces,  after  which  she  was 
embarked  in  sections  on  board  the  Axim^  a  Liverpool 
steamer,  which  took  her  back  to  Europe. 

Sold  as  old  metal,  and  what  she  fetched  debited  to  the 
credit  of  the  budget  of  our  expedition,  all  that  is  left  of  the 
Davoust  is  now  circulating  in  fairs  or  figuring  in  shop- 
windows,  in  the  form  of  light  match-boxes  and  other  small 
articles  such  as  are  made  of  aluminium. 

And  this  was  the  end  of  all  the  three  sturdy  barks  : 
Davousty  Aube,  and  D antec yVjhich.  for  twelve  whole  months 
were  all  the  world  to  us ! 

The  Dantec  had  often  seemed  likely  never  to  get  to  the 
end  of  her  journey;  the  Aube  certainly  ought  not  to  have 
arrived,  judging  by  the  two  or  three  occasions  on  which 
she  had  seemed  done  for ;  at  the  end  of  the  voyage  you 
could  put  your  fingers  through  her  rotten  planking.  If 
she  had  run  aground  but  once  more,  or  if  she  had  got 
another  blow  in  passing  the  last  rapid,  all  would  have  been 
over  with  her  worm-eaten   keel,  and  also  with   her  crew. 


FROM   BUSSA   TO   THE   SEA  495 

The  Davoust  too  had  received  many  wounds,  and  what 
was  more  serious  still,  oxidation  was  beginning  to  work 
havoc  in  her  sections. 

Ten  times  at  least,  face  to  face  with  some  specially  bad 
rapids,  I  had  made  up  my  mind  to  lose  one  of  the  three,  if 
not  all  ;  but,  as  the  English  said,  they  were  gallant  ships. 
Bravely,  in  spite  of  rapids,  whirlpools,  and  rocks,  they 
had  made  for  the  appointed  goal,  the  mouth  of  the  river, 
bringing  there  without  faltering  the  whole  expedition  :  we 
white  men,  the  coolies,  all  our  goods,  and  the  French 
flag! 

No  doubt  it  was  Aube,  Dantec,  and  Davoust,  their 
sponsors,  our  comrades,  who  had  died  at  the  task  of  the 
conquest  of  the  Niger,  who  had  brought  good  luck  to  our 
three  boats. 

Thanks  to  them,  I  had  kept  my  oath  of  1888. 

It  was  not  therefore  without  emotion,  without  a  sadness 
which  may  have  been  childish,  but  which  many  will  under- 
stand, that  we  parted  finally  with  the  companions  of  so 
many  dangers. 

Have  not  boats  souls  ?  Sailors  love  them  like  old 
friends,  like  heirlooms.  We  must  attach  ourselves  affec- 
tionately to  something  in  this  life,  must  we  not  ? 

The  Axim  took  us  to  Forcados  ;  the  Forcados  to  Lago  ; 
the  Olinda,  chartered  specially  for  us,  to  Porto  Novo. 

On  November  i,  at  five  o'clock  in  the  morning,  there  was 
great  excitement  at  the  house  of  the  officers  of  Porto  Novo. 
Some  people  had  suddenly  arrived,  and  were  banging 
against  the  shutters.  The  door  was  soon  half-opened  and  a 
voice  inquired,  "  Who  are  you  ?  " — "  Hourst !  " — "  Where  do 
you  come  from  ?  " — "  Timbuktu  " — and  the  next  moment, 
without  any  further  questioning,  we  all  fell  into  each  other's 
arms. 


496  THE    EXPLORATION    OF    THE    NIGER 

After  all  I  experienced  in  Dahomey  and  in  the  Senegal, 
I  will  not  dwell  too  much  on  the  goodness  the  Governor- 
General,  M.  Chaudie,  showed  to  us  on  our  return,  on  the 
kindness  he  lavished  upon  every  member  of  the  expedition, 
or  on  the  reception  our  friends  of  St.  Louis  gave  us  later, 
but  I  can  never  thank  any  of  them  enough. 

We  dismissed  our  coolies  at  St.  Louis,  thus  effecting 
an  immense  economy.  Abdulaye,  the  carpenter,  at  once 
changed  his  costume  for  that  of  a  private  citizen.  A  soft 
hat,  a  frock-coat,  and  a  cane  with  a  silver  handle,  converted 
the  chrysalis  into  a  butterfly ;  at  the  same  time  our  old 
servant  began  to  make  up  for  his  long  months  of  sobriety 
and  abstinence.  It  was,  in  fact,  impossible  to  find  him 
even  to  give  him  an  extra  tip. 

The  rest  of  our  coolies  dispersed  about  the  town,  hold- 
ing receptions  in  all  the  public  places  of  the  Sarracolais 
quarter,  telling  their  adventures  with  much  declamation, 
and  eliciting  considerable  applause. 

The  negroes  also,  it  seems,  have  their  mutual  admiration 
for  geographical  societies ! 

Later  all  the  brave  fellows  who  had  been  devoted  to  us 
to  the  death,  and  some  of  whom  we  looked  upon  as  real 
friends,  dispersed  themselves  once  more  amongst  the  Galam 
villages  dotted  along  the  banks  of  the  Senegal,  and  there 
at  least  I  can  confidently  assert  our  mission,  or  rather,  as 
Digui  called  it,  the  Munition,  was  and  still  is  popular. 

That  is  something,  at  all  events. 

On  December  12,  1896,  we  landed  from  the  steamer  on 
the  quay  of  Marseilles,  where  men  were  spitting  just  as  they 
had  been  when  I  left  Brest.  Looking  out  of  the  window  of 
my  cab  upon  the  deserted  street,  I  saw  a  little  Italian  boy 
in  the  drizzling  rain  which  was  falling,  holding  in  his  arms  a 
plaster  statuette  representing  a  nude  woman  with  graceful. 


FROM    BUSSA  TO   THE    SEA 


497 


supple  limbs,  probably  meant  for  Diana  resting  on  a  crescent 
of  the  moon.  She  and  her  bearer  looked  cold  and  melan- 
choly enough.  This  was  my  first  sight  of  a  really  civilized 
human  being  after  my  three  years'  exile. 


NATIVES  OF   AFRICA. 


K    K 


EPILOGUE 

I  HAVE  now  narrated  all  our  adventures,  and  I  leave  my 
readers  to  judge  of  our  work.  I  think  it  necessary  still 
just  to  jot  down  here  the  practical  conclusions  I  came  to, 
which  may  be  of  use  later  in  French  colonial  policy. 

To  begin  with,  let  us  consider  how  to  turn  the  Niger 
to  account  as  a  highway  for  reaching  the  heart  of  the 
Western  Sudan. 

The  French  Journal  Officiel  of  Western  Africa  has  pub- 
lished a  report  written  by  Baudry  on  the  possible  import- 
ations and  exportations,  to  which  I  have  nothing  to  add. 
To  every  unprejudiced  mind  he  has  clearly  proved  that 
there  is  great  wealth  of  natural  produce  to  be  found  in 
these  districts,  such  as  india-rubber,  gutta-percha,  skins, 
wool,  wax,  karite,  cotton,  etc.,  which  can  easily  be  bought, 
and  are,  in  fact,  simply  waiting  to  be  developed. 

Now  which  would  be  the  best  route  to  take  these  pro- 
ducts to  France  ?  This  is  the  point  we  have  to  elucidate 
to  begin  with. 

We  brought  home  our  hydrographical  map  of  the  Niger, 
from  Timbuktu  to  Bussa,  on  a  scale  of  i6  miles  to  the  inch, 
in  fifty  sheets.  One  glance  at  it  will  suffice  to  show  that 
the  river  is  not  really  practically  navigable  further  than 
Ansongo :  that  is  to  say,  435  miles  below  the  last  French 
port  in  the  Sudan. 

Further  down  than  Ansongo  the  river  is  simply  one 
hopeless  labyrinth  of  rocks,  islands,  reefs,  and  rapids  ;  and 


EPILOGUE  499 

although  at  the  time  of  our  transit  there  seemed  to  be  fewer 
obstacles  between  Say  and  Tchakatchi  than  elsewhere,  it 
must  be  remembered  that  we  passed  when  the  water  was 
at  its  maximum  height.  As  for  the  Bussa  rapids,  they  are 
simply  impassable  for  laden  boats. 

"You  passed  all  right,  though!"  some  one  said  to  me  ;  and 
so  we  did,  but  I  think  the  tour  de  force  by  which,  thanks 
to  our  lucky  star,  we  achieved  our  passage  under  the 
greatest  difficulties,  would  not  be  successful  once  in  three 
times.  We  might,  however,  go  down  again  once  more,  but 
to  go  up  would  be  quite  a  different  matter. 

None  but  little  boats,  very  lightly  laden,  or  without  any 
cargo,  such  as  the  canoes  of  the  natives,  can  venture  with- 
out foolhardiness  into  such  passes  as  we  came  through. 

This  is  certainly  not  the  way  in  which  a  river  can  be 
remuneratively  navigated.  Even  if  an  attempt  were  made 
to  employ  the  primitive  means  alone  likely  to  succeed, 
beasts  of  burden,  such  as  camels,  could  compete  on 
disastrous  terms  with  the  waterway. 

To  attempt  therefore  to  turn  the  river  to  account  in 
supplying  the  central  districts  with  merchandise,  or  to 
bring  down  their  products  to  the  coast,  would  simply 
result  in  failure.  To  take  merchandise  up  to  Say  by 
means  of  the  lower  branches  of  the  river,  is  but  a  Utopian 
dream,  which  would  but  result  in  disaster  to  those  traders 
involved  in  the  speculation. 

Nature  has,  in  fact,  laid  her  interdict  on  the  navigation 
of  a  great  part  of  the  course  of  the  Niger  ;  but  at  least  the 
435  navigable  miles  above  Ansongo,  and  between  it  and 
Timbuktu,  added  to  the  622  between  the  latter  town  and 
Kolikoro,  form  what  may  be  characterized  as  a  safe  mill- 
stream,  well  zvithin  the  French  districts.  We  have  not  as 
yet  nearly  realized  all  the  resources  of  those  districts. 

How  then  shall  we  get  to  this  mill-stream  of  ours,  or,  as 


500  THE    EXPLORATION    OF   THE    NIGER 

we  may  perhaps  call  it,  this  inland  trading  lake?  A  unique 
solution  to  the  problem  presents  itself:  we  must  finish  the 
line  of  railway  uniting  Kayes  to  Kolikoro. 

The  first  workers  at  the  task  of  penetrating  into  Africa 
were  right.  The  project  of  Mungo  Park,  and  Faidherbe, 
taken  up  and  continued  by  the  Desbordes,  the  Gallieni, 
the  Archinards,  etc.,  should  be  continued,  pushed  on  and 
completed  without  delay. 

All  has  already  been  explored.  We  are  no  longer 
discussing  a  castle  in  the  air,  with  no  firm  foundations. 
We  know  what  that  railway  will  cost,  its  whole  course 
has  been  decided  on  and  surveyed ;  only  one  thing  is  still 
needed,  and  that  is  money.  It  is  for  the  French  Govern- 
ment to  ask  for  it,  and  for  the  French  Parliament  to  grant 
it.  Certain  there  be  who  deliberately  oppose  French  colonial 
expansion ;  with  them  discussion  is  impossible.  I  do  not  try 
to  convince  them,  for  they  are  already  proved  to  be  in  the 
wrong. 

There  are,  however,  others,  noble  and  loyal  Frenchmen, 
who  stigmatize  as  sterile  all  the  efforts  we  make  beyond 
seas  to  add  to  the  possessions  of  our  native  country. 
"  What,"  they  urge,  "  you  talk  of  wholesale  emigration,  when 
the  population  of  France  is  by  no  means  increasing ! " 

This  is,  after  all,  only  a  specious  argument.  Who  speaks 
of  advising  expatriation  en  masse  to  Frenchmen  for  the 
sake  of  peopling  distant  countries }  All  the  colonies  suitable 
for  peopling  have  already  been  appropriated  by  our  English 
rivals.    Australia  was  the  last  of  them. 

With  regard,  however,  to  colonies  for  exploration,  it  is 
quite  a  different  matter.  And  with  the  fullest  conviction 
of  my  soul,  I  say  France  ought  to  acquire  such  colonies. 
Through  them  alone  will  she  recover  her  commercial 
ascendency,  which  has  been  so  seriously  jeopardized; 
through  them  alone  will  her  social  position  become  assured. 


EPILOGUE  501 

Take,  for  instance,  some  child,  the  son  of  a  workman  or 
farmer:  he  goes  to  the  school  of  his  quarter  or  village. 
Intelligent  and  hardworking,  he  soon  wins  the  affection  of 
his  teacher.  "  Work,"  says  that  teacher  ;  "  to  every  one  the 
reward  is  sure,  according  to  his  merits.  Think  of  Pasteur, 
the  son  of  a  workman,  to  whom  all  Europe  renders 
homage." 

Believing  what  he  is  told,  the  child  works  on.  At  first 
the  State  fulfils  the  promises  made  through  the  lips  of  the 
master.     The  teacher  has  spoken  to  the  inspector  of  his 


MEDAL  OF  THE   FRlixVCH   SOCIETY   FOR   THE  ADVANCEMENT  OF   SCIENCE. 

protege,  the  rector  bestirs  himself  in  the  matter,  the 
minister  even  intervenes,  encouragement  and  money  aid 
alike  are  lavished  upon  the  young  fellow.  His  zeal  in- 
creases, he  redoubles  his  application,  he  passes  all  the 
examinations  and  gets  all  the  honours  possible,  till  the 
University  has  no  more  to  teach.  Teacher,  rector,  min- 
ister, all  justly  pride  themselves  in  having  done  their  duty 
by  him. 

Then  the  son  of  the  workman  begins  his  life  in  the 
world. 

Oh,  how  changed  is  everything  to  him  now !  Knowledge 
and  industry  are  much,  it  is  true,  but  there  are  still  two 


502  THE   EXPLORATION   OF   THE   NIGER 

applicants  for  every  post,  for  every  social  function,  and  it 
is  always  the  weaker,  the  less  skilful,  or  rather  perhaps 
the  less  fortunate,  who  goes  to  the  wall. 

The  State  has  no  other  situation  to  offer  him,  and  there 
is  a  regular  glut  of  brain-workers  already  in  commerce 
and  in  manufacture.     Still  it  is  necessary  to  eat  to  live. 

It  is  easy  to  say  "  go  back  to  the  workshop  or  the  plough," 
but  it  is  against  human  nature  to  do  so  ;  the  cultivated 
brain,  the  matured  intelligence,  need  the  intellectual  food 
to  which  they  have  become  accustomed.  The  hands  are 
too  soft  and  delicate  now  for  manual  labour,  nor  are  the 
muscles  strong  enough  for  it. 

One  more  embittered,  discontented,  unfortunate  man  has 
been  produced,  that  is  all,  and  who  knows  but  that  to- 
morrow he  may  astonish  the  world  by  some  attempted 
crime  or  act  of  folly,  the  result  of  his  despair,  perhaps  even 
of  actual  hunger? 

Am  I  making  excuses  for  an  anarchist  ?  By  no  means. 
I  have  but  proved  the  necessity  of  French  colonial  expan- 
sion in  colonies  of  exploration. 

If  we  wish  to  turn  our  distant  possessions  to  account, 
the  criminal  of  yesterday,  the  dangerous  member  of 
society,  might  go  there,  and  in  directing  industrial  or 
commercial  enterprises  find  legitimate  employment  and 
a  fair  return  for  all  his  intelligent  efforts  and  for  the  work 
and  study  of  his  youth. 

There  is  plenty  of  labour  to  be  obtained  out  there,  for 
it  is  only  the  natives,  of  whatever  tribe  or  colour,  whose 
temperament  is  hostile  to  manual  work. 

More  than  that,  these  very  natives  who  are  now  in  a 
degraded  state  of  barbarism,  if  taught  by  intelligent 
Europeans,  would  soon  rise  above  their  present  condition 
to  more  of  an  equality  with  their  instructors.  Not  only 
would  the  young  man  of  whom  I  have  been  speaking  live 


EPILOGUE  503 

a  happy  life  ;  not  only  would  he  win  riches  for  himself 
and  add  to  the  wealth  of  his  native  country,  but  he  would 
also  aid  in  bringing  about  what,  in  my  opinion,  is  the 
noblest  of  all  possible  ambitions,  the  amelioration  of  the 
lot  of  his  fellow- creatures,  for  to  make  them  better  and 
happier  is  to  share  in  the  work  of  God  Himself. 

So  logical  is  this  reasoning,  that  my  only  wonder  is  why 
those  who  have  the  good  of  humanity  at  heart  have  not 
thought  of  it  before  myself. 

Is  not  our  French  Sudan  just  such  a  fertile  colony  as 


MEDAL  OF  THE    '  SOCIETE   D'ALLIANCE   FRANCAISE.' 

is  well  suited  for  playing  a  part  in  what  I  may  call  the 
future  social  policy  of  France  ?  I  can  answer  that  question 
in  a  very  few  words. 

I  have  visited  the  lower  course  of  the  river,  with  the 
districts  under  the  control  of  the  Royal  Niger  Company, 
and  I  can  confidently  assert  that  except  for  palm-oil, 
which  is  only  to  be  obtained  on  the  seaboard,  none  of  the 
exports,  gum,  india-rubber,  ivory,  and  above  all,  karite,  are 
wanting  in  the  French  Sudan.  In  fact,  we  have  all  these 
things  in  greater  quantities  than  the  English,  without 
counting  the  products  peculiar  to  our  districts,  but  unknown 
at  the  mouth  of  the  river. 


504  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE    NIGER 

■  Let  us  then  make  that  raihvay,  and  make  it  quickly.  Do 
not  let  us  waste  any  more  time  talking  about  it ;  do  not 
let  us  turn  aside  for  any  other  projects,  and  when  some 
373  miles  of  iron  road  unite  some  622  miles  of  the  navigable 
Senegal,  with  no  less  than  1056  miles  of  the  Niger,  all  alike 
fit  to  be  navigated  by  our  boats,  we  shall  have  a  second 
Algeria,  larger  and  richer  than  the  first.  The  mind  can 
scarcely  grasp  the  idea  of  the  new  source  of  fortune  to  be 
opened  to  France  by  a  thing  so  simple  as  this,  a  thing  in 
which  the  Belgians  have  been  beforehand  with  us — the 
construction  of  a  railway.  Stanley  was  right  when  he 
said  Africa  would  belong  to  the  first  who  should  lay  down 
a  line  of  railway  through  it.^ 

This  will  bring  us  to  Ansongo.  Are  we  to  let  it  be  the 
limit  of  our  zone  of  trading  operations?  No,  certainly 
not ;  and  this  brings  me  to  a  second  result  won  by  our 
expedition  :  the  opening  of  relations  with  the  Awellimiden. 

I  have  constituted  myself  the  defender  of  the  Tuaregs. 
I  have  shown  them  to  be  less  cruel,  less  traitorous,  less 
hostile  to  progress  than  they  are  generally  said  to  be. 
It  is  for  the  reader  to  judge  whether  the  adventures  I 
have  related  do  or  do  not  prove  my  impressions  to  have 
been  correct. 

One  thing,  however,  I  must  stipulate,  and  that  is :  if  we 
let  months  or  years  slip  by  without  improving  the  relations 
opened  with  the  Tuaregs  of  the  Niger  by  further  contact 
with  them,  we  shall  find  them  more  difficult  to  deal  with, 
more  suspicious,  altogether  less  accessible  than  we  did 
during  our  stay  in  their  country. 

As  I  have  already  said,  the  Azgueurs  were  in  our  hands 
after  the  journey  of  Duveyrier.     Ikhenukhen,  their  great 

^  I  must  add  that  of  the  373  miles  of  railway  that  I  ask  for,  125  are 
already  made,  and  are  in  full  work,  so  that  the  worst  difficulties  are 
overcome. 


EPILOGUE  505 

chief,  who  was  honoured  and  obeyed  by  them,  was  our 
friend.  When  the  treaty  of  Rhadames  was  made,  we  said 
to  them,  "  We  want  to  go  to  the  Sudan  by  way  of  Air  :  you 
will  guide  us,  you  will  protect  our  traders,  you  will  hire  your 
camels  to  us,  and  you  will  find  it  to  your  profit  to  do  so." 

A  Tuareg  proverb  says,  "  You  should  never  promise  more 
than  half  what  you  mean  to  perform." 

The  Azgueurs  of  course  expected  our  caravans  to  arrive, 
and  they  are  still  expecting  them.  Gradually,  however, 
they  are  beginning  to  doubt  us.     "  What,"  they  are  saying, 


MEDAL  OF  THE  LYONS  GEOGRAPHICAL   SOCIETY. 

"  did  those  Frenchmen,  who  seemed  so  anxious  to  trade  in 
our  country,  come  to  do  here  ? "  When  this  question  is 
put  to  a  Tuareg,  he  will  answer  immediately,  "  They  came 
to  spy ;  they  were  the  spies  of  a  great  army,  which  will 
come  to  take  away  our  liberty  and  our  independence." 

In  the  English  of  Tripoli  and  their  agent,  the  Kaimakhan 
of  Rhadames,  they  would  have  advisers,  who  would  increase 
their  suspicions  of  us.  Little  by  little  the  sympathy  the 
Tuaregs  had  felt  for  us  would  give  way  to  dread  of  us. 
Ikhenukhen  is  dead  now,  the  Sahara  is  closed  to  us,  more 
completely  closed  than  when  Duveyrier  visited  it,  or  when 
Barth  and  Richardson  crossed  it. 


So6  THE    EXPLORATION    OF    THE   NIGER 

If  we  are  equally  negligent  with  the  Awellimiden,  we 
shall  obtain  equally  melancholy  results. 

If  only  an  opposite  policy  could  be  pursued,  how  different 
everything  would  be ! 

Whilst  waiting  for  that  iron  road,  and  alas !  its  completion 
is  very  far  off!  the  only  means  of  transit — bearing  in  mind 
the  impossibility  of  navigating  the  second  section  of  the 
river — is  to  employ  the  comparatively  cheap  and  easily 
obtained  ships  of  the  desert,  the  ugly  but  useful  camels. 

Now  the  camels  all  belong  to  the  Tuaregs,  generally  to 
their  Imrad  tribes. 

Let  us  imagine  that  the  railway  is  completed,  that  boats 
brought  up  in  sections  to  Kolikoro  have  been  put  together 
there,  and  are  going  down  the  river  as  far  as  Gao,  boats 
sufficiently  well  armed  to  make  the  French  respected,  and 
of  sufficient  tonnage  to  carry  merchandise  ;  we  should  at 
once  have  either  at  Gao  or  somewhere  else  in  its  neighbour- 
hood, a  centre,  so  to  speak,  of  transit,  to  which  the  Tuaregs 
could  bring  their  animals  to  be  laden,  and  acting  as  convoys 
to  our  caravans,  would  be  most  useful  auxiliaries  to  the 
French  traders. 

Do  not  let  any  one  urge  against  this  the  pillaging  in- 
stincts of  the  Tuaregs.  To  begin  with,  it  is  in  our  power, 
if  necessary,  to  destroy,  or  at  least  to  insist,  upon  the 
removal  elsewhere,  of  the  riveraine  negro  villages,  an  ex- 
cellent way  of  keeping  the  natives  in  awe,  for  we  should 
then  have  it  in  our  power  to  avenge  ourselves  efficaciously 
on  them  in  case  of  their  hostility,  for  it  is  from  these 
riveraine  districts  that  they  obtain  the  grain  which  is  their 
only  food. 

I  assert,  however,  that  it  would  never  be  necessary  to 
proceed  to  such  extremities  as  that. 

The  Tuaregs  are  alike  too  intelligent  and  avaricious  of 
gain  to  risk  raids,  the  result  of  which  would  be  uncertain. 


EPILOGUE 


507 


when  merely  letting  out  their  camels  on  hire  would  bring 
them  in  alike  a  greater  and  a  surer  profit. 

By  doing  as  I  suggest,  the  old  route  from  Gao  to  Lake 
Tchad,  one  of  the  most  ancient  in  Northern  Africa,  could 
be  reopened.  This  route,  bearing  as  it  does  in  the  direction 
of  Gober  and  Air,  and  skirting  the  Sahara,  as  it  were  in 
the  rear,  might  in  the  end  be  made  to  connect  the  French 
Sudan  with  Algeria  and  Tunis, 

To  achieve  this  I  repeat  we  must  not  give  the  mara- 
bouts, who  are  badly  disposed  towards  the  French,  time  to 


"^^^^^wfe. 


MEDAL  OF  THE   MARSEILLES  GEOGRAPHICAL  50^- 


destroy  our  work  before  it  is  fairly  begun  ;  we  must  not  by 
too  long  a  delay,  awake  once  more  the  suspicions  of  the 
Awellimiden,  which  are  always  easily  aroused. 

I  do  not  pretend  to  say  that  any  immediate  profits  would 
result  from  the  course  I  advocate.  Skins,  wool,  and  gum 
are  all  too  heavy  to  make  it  worth  while  to  export  them 
by  difficult  and  costly  modes  of  transport  from  Timbuktu 
to  Kolikoro,  and  from  Kolikoro  to  Diubeba,  where  ends 
at  the  present  moment  the  railway  from  the  Senegal  to 
the  Niger. 

It  is,  however,  absolutely  necessary  to  pave  the  way  for 
traffic  even  at  the  cost  of  a  temporary  loss,  so  that  it  may 


5o8  THE   EXPLORATION    OF   THE   NIGER 

be  in  full  swing  from  the  very  day  of  the  completion  of  the 
railway,  when  steamers  will  begin  to  ply  on  the  navigable 
portion  of  the  Niger. 

On  that  day  our  hydrographical  map,  which  is  so  far 
the  chief  result  of  our  expedition,  will  find  its  use ! 

Was  our  stay  at  Say  a  profitable  one?  The  future 
alone  can  decide. 

I  do  think,  however,  that  at  least  our  gentle  and 
benevolent  behaviour  to  the  peaceable  natives,  to  the  tillers 
of  the  soil,  the  Koyraberos,  must,  however  obtuse  their  in- 
telligence, have  proved  to  them  that  these  French  infidels, 
these  Kaffirs,  as  they  called  us,  were  not  really  exactly 
what  their  marabouts  told  them  we  were :  ferocious 
beasts. 

Moreover,  our  establishing  ourselves  in  our  island,  and 
our  stay  at  Fort  Archinard,  in  spite  of  the  prohibition  of 
our  enemy,  Amadu  Cheiku,  under  his  very  eyes,  as  it  were, 
and  in  spite  of  all  his  satellites  could  do,  all  his  vain 
intrigues  against  us,  must  surely  have  weakened  his 
influence  and  his  prestige. 

We  could  not  possibly  have-  done  more  than  we  did 
with  the  very  small  force  at  our  command,  and  in  view  of 
the  instructions  we  had  received  to  maintain  the  pacific 
character  of  our  expedition,  instructions,  alas  !  which  to  the 
end  remained  incomplete,  and  were  very  different  from 
what  I  had  hoped  they  would  be. 

With  regard  to  the  Lower  Niger  it  is  best  to  be  silent. 
There  is  far  too  much  competition  there  with  other 
E^uropean  nations,  and  it  would  only  lessen  the  effect  of 
the  results  we  had  been  able  to  obtain,  whether  those 
results  were  great  or  small,  to  publish  what  they  were.  It 
is  for  diplomacy  to  deal  with  them,  bearing  in  mind  that 
our  rivals  know  on  occasion  how  to  act  with  what  I  may 
call  quite  a  special  bad  geographical   faith,  which  is  not. 


EPILOGUE  509 

however,  any  longer  effective,  since  we  have  now  reconnoitred 
and  examined  the  districts  in  dispute. 

I  may  add  that  we  also  brought  back  with  us  a  few 
collections,  and  what  was,  as  it  appears  to  me,  a  most 
important  point,  the  results  of  as  careful  a  study  as 
possible  of  the  different  dialects  spoken  in  the  river 
districts. 

There  is  nothing  which  gains  the  confidence  of  the 
natives  more  than  to  be  able  to  speak,  or  even  to  jabber, 
their  language.     The  effect  on  the  Tuaregs  especially  is 


MEDAL  OF  THE  CHER  GEOGRAPHICAL   SOCIETY. 

immense  when  they  find  that  a  European  can  say  a  few 
phrases  in  Tamschenk,  and  a  very  great  stride  has  been 
made  towards  a  good  understanding  when  those  sentences 
have  been  pronounced. 

Whatever  may  be  the  results  of  our  journey,  I  should 
be  guilty  of  the  grossest  ingratitude  if  I  concluded  my 
account  of  our  adventures  in  any  other  way  than  by 
thanking  all  the  devoted  companions  who  helped  me  to 
bring  it  to  a  successful  conclusion. 

Our  negroes,  those  brave  Senagalese,  whom  we  have 
watched  at  their  work  so  long,  who  were  so  devoted,  so 
French,  who  so  blindly  followed  the  chief  whose  service 


5IO  THE    EXPLORATION    OF    THE    NIGER 

they  had  entered,  had  held  their  own  lives  cheap,  and  now 
shared  with  us  the  proud  sense  of  duty  accomplished. 

Then  above  all,  our  thanks  are  due  to  my  friends  Baudry, 
Bluzet,  Taburet,  and  Father  Hacquart.  We  were  going 
back  now  to  civilized  life,  perhaps  to  disperse  to  the  four 
corners  of  the  earth,  but  a  bond  had  been  formed  between 
us  which  nothing  will  ever  break.     As  for  me,  that  bond 


NATIVES   OF   SANSAN   HAUSSA. 


was  made  up  chiefly  of  loving  gratitude,  for  to  them  is 
due  the  fact  that  I  was  able  to  keep  my  oath  made  when 
Davoust  died,  to  serve  my  country  and  to  increase  the 
extent  of  the  future  possessions  of  France. 

Thanks  too  must  be  given  to  those  who  aided  me 
by  their  influence,  their  encouragement,  and  their  con- 
tributions, no  matter  how  small.  As  my  readers  have 
seen,  the  beginning  of  the  hydrographical  expedition  I 
commanded  was  set  about  with   many  difficulties,  and    I 


EPILOGUE  511 

can  honestly  assert  that  I  suffered  far  more  personally  just 
because  of  my  zeal  for  the  task  I  had  undertaken  ;  a  task 
which  when  completed  would  extend  the  area  of  our 
colonial  possessions  and  make  them  better  known,  which 
would  add  to  the  wealth  and  the  power  of  my  native 
country.  Yes,  I  suffered  more  than  if  I  had  been  a  bad 
officer,  caring  little  about  his  duty. 

I  wish  I  could  say  that  at  least  all  was  changed  on  my 
feturn,  but  truth  compels  me  to  add  that  there  were  certain 
notable  exceptions  to  the  general  sympathy  with  me,  and 
the  general  kindness  of  the  reception  given  to  me. 


GRAND   MEDAL  OF  THK   PARIS   SOCIETY  OF  COMMERCIAL  GEOGRAPHY 

But  never  mind,  the  sense  of  having  done  one's  duty  is 
worth  more  than  anything  else. 

It  is  to  you,  dear  friends,  dear  companions  on  the  Niger, 
that  I  add — "  Let  people  say  what  they  will ;  a  hundred 
years  hence  many  things  and  many  men  will  be  forgotten, 
but  for  all  that,  it  will  be  as  true  then  as  it  is  now,  that 
our  hydrographical  expedition  was  the  first  to  descend  the 
Niger,  the  first  to  explore  its  course  from  Kolikoro  to  the 
sea." 

A  French  sailor,  Francis  Gamier  by  name,  on  his  way 
to  Tonquin,  which  he  had  to  aid  in  conquering,  and  where 


512  THE   EXPLORATION  OF   THE   NIGER 

he  was  to  end  his  days,  wrote  to  his  mother  describing  all 
the  difficulties  he  would  have  to  contend  with,  adding, 
"  But  I  do  not  mind,  mother  dear.  Forward,  for  the  sake 
of  old  France  !  " 

For  ourselves,  and  for  those  who  are  to  come  after  us  in 
Africa  or  elsewhere,  I  too  close  my  narrative  with  the 
same  words.     "  Forward,  for  the  sake  of  old  France  !  " 


INDEX 


Abd   el   Kader,  Arab   name   of 

HoLirst,  90,  191,  196,  309 
Abder  Rhaman,  a  chief,  142,  144 
Abdu,  285-288,  293 
Abdul  Dori,  65,  66,  78,  98 
Abdulaye,  a  carpenter,  96,  189,  287, 

319,  320,  335,  364,  370,  399,  496 
Abdulaye  Dem,  Tierno,  41,  70,  84, 

95.  96,   157,  196,  286,  338,  352, 

353,  367,  397,  416 
Abdul  Bubakar,  329 
Abdul  Kerim,  88-90,  loi,  103,  124, 

146,  153,  154,  168,  174,  184,  191 
Abegga,  484,  485 
Abiddin,  75,  81,  101-108,  114,  118, 

120,  121,  135,  140,  141 
Abo,  350,  488,  490,  491 
Abu,  147 
Achur,  125 
Adria,  158 

Agata,  a  village,  135,  136 
Aghades,  352 
Agibu,  373 
Agony,  358 
Agoult,  Naval  Lieutenant,  456,  487, 

491 
Ahmadu  Mumi,  280,  386,  387,  389 
Ahmady  Mody,  318,  338 
Air,   176,  202,  207,  243,  247,   505, 

507 
Ajacni,  443 
Akassa,  452,  488,  493 
Algeria,  49,  129,  144,  201,  228,242, 

247,  504,  507 
Algiers,  228 
Ali,  306 

Aliburi,  282,  310,  313,  320,  388 
Alif,  118 


Alimsar,  240,  241,  426 

Alkori,  204 

Al  Walidj,  104 

Amacher,  202,  222 

Amadi,  79,  80 

Amadu,  a  guide,  436-439,  442-445, 

456,  457,  ^68 
Amadu  Cheiku,  37,  181,  271,  274, 

280,  283,  290,  291,  307,  312-317, 

372,  384,  508 
Amadu  Lobbo  Cisse,  a  chief,  78 
Amadu  Saturu  or  Modibo,  285,  286, 

288,  290-292,  299,  326,  347,  359, 

361,  365-368,  373,  37%  382-387, 

388-391 
Amiru  of  Torodi,  313 
Amrar,  178,  244 
Ansars,  208 
Ansel  Makkoren,  144 
Ansongo,    99,    100,    165,    181-184, 

188,  192,  269,  368,  369,  373,  498, 

499,  504 
Arabu,  310,  364 
Archinard,   General,  yj^  284,  298, 

299,  500 
Ardent^  T/te,  452,  492 
Ardos  of  Massina,  316 
Argungu,  412,  421 
Arhlal,  10 1 
Armas,  the,  or  Romas,  144, 168,208, 

209,  216,  217 
Aron,  Lieutenant,  491,  492,  494 
Askia,  165,  167,  193,  207,  316 
Assaba,  487-490 
Atakor  n'Ahaggar,  202,  207,  243 
Atchino,  331,  358,  399 
Attanoux,  84,  160,  172 
Aube,  30,  495 

L  L 


5U 


INDEX 


Aube,  The,  52,  59,  60,  94,99,  123, 
146,  147,  156,  186,  188,  193,  251, 
255,  256,  258,  260,  275-277,  299, 
304,  338, 357,  358,  459,  463,  467- 
469,  494 

Auru,  265,  368,  369,  438,  449,  464, 
466,  467,  470,  472,  474,  479,  485 

Aussa,  Igwadaren,  the,  90,  131 

Autel  Makhoren,  134 

Awellimiden,  the,  88,  104-106, 
120,  129-131,  136,  148,  152,  167, 
170,  173,  174,  176,  177,  181,  19s, 
196,  201,  203,  204,  209,  217,  219, 
231,  236,  238,  240,  241,  243,  246, 

247,  271,  315,  379,  426,  504,  506, 

507 
Azemay,  277 
Azgueurs,  the,  160,  172,   197,  201, 

248,  504 

Baba  Hamet,  80.  146,  177 

Badjibo  or  Guadjibo,  470 

Bafing,  a  stream,  7,  42 

Bafulabe,  7,  34,  38,  42 

Bakel,  27,  30 

Bakhoy,  the,  7,  39,  42 

BaHa,  180,  181 

Ballot,  Governor,  33 

Bamako,  52,  289,  405 

Bamana  Dankun,  71 

Bamba,  136,  148 

Bambara,  60,  62,  68,  71,  281,  351, 

411 
Bandiagara,  65,  2S8,  290,  363,  364, 

z^i.  371, 372 

Bargu,  The,  475,  477 

Baror,  a  rock,  149,  155 

Barth,  Dr.  Henry,  t,  2,  10,  75,  88, 
89,  loi,  124,  129,  142,  149,  152, 
156,  165,  166,  179,  180,  184-186, 
194,  201,  240,  251,  357,  367,  48^1, 

485,  505 

Baruba,  142 

Baud,  32,  33,  285,  286,  423,  427 

Baudry,  Lieutenant,  14,  17,  20,  21, 
23,  28,  32,  34,  36-39,  41,  64,  94, 
97,  100,  132,  100,  182,  188,  197, 
254-257,  261,  302,  323,  335,  337, 
352,  353,  364,  371,  399,  421,  468, 
469,485,498,  510 

Baye  Hamet,  80,  146,  177 

Beba,  182 

Bechir  Uld  Mbirikat,  88,  118 

Beckay  Uld  Ama  Lamine,  75,  76 


Beddaof  Ida,  228 

Belle  or  Bellates,  215,  216,  251 

Benin,  493 

Beni-Omia,  law  of,  236-238 

Bentia,  the  Biting  of  Barth,  194 

Benue,  479,  481,  483 

Berber,  203,  204 

Bidda,  437,  476,  488 

Bikini,  405 

Bilali  Cumba,  a  coolie,  29 

Bilinga,  375 

Bina,  Ali,  47 

Biskra,  78 

Bluzet,  Lieutenant,  37-41,  44,  45, 

64,  94, 97,  100,  1 58,  290,  303,  304, 

325,  340,  353,  354,  374,  408,  469, 

510 
Bobo,  282 

Bokar  Ahmidu  Collado,  372 
Boker  Wandieidu,  218,  252,  269- 

271 
Bolard,  Leon,  19,  20,  38 
Bonnier,  Colonel,  30,  118,  218 
Bori,  100 
Bornu,  179 

Bozos,  the,  316,  351,  354 
Brass,  488,  493 
Brazil,  The,  21,  23 
Brid'oison,  M.,  352 
Briere  de  I'Isle,  24 
Briere  de  Flsle,  The,  2j,  2,0 
Bubakar-Singo,  28,  39 
Bubodji,  406 
Burdane,  202 
Bure,  an  island,  189,  191 
Burgu,  408,420,  423,455 
Burrem,  98,  100 
Burrum,  10,  160,  165,  413 
Bussa,  5,  289,  303,  408,  425,  431, 

433,  434,  437,  439,  44o,  443-449, 

451,  452,  454,  459,  462,  470,  472, 

474,  479,  481,  498,  499 
Bussuma,  373 


Caille,  Rene,  75 

Cape  Verd,  21 

Carnot,  M.,  176 

Caron,  8,  33,  41,  309 

Carrol,  Captain,  473,  475,  476,  486, 

487,  490 
Cayor,  23,  24,  282,  319,  364,  388 
Chalor,  a  rock,  149 
Chambas,  the,  204,  248 


INDEX 


515 


Charenton,  435 

Chaudie,  M.,  Governor-General,  37, 

496 
Chautemps,  M.,  Colonial  Minister, 

37 
Cheibatan,  the,  240,  242 
Cherbourg,  22 
Colbert,  5 
Congo,  the,  36 
Conquet,  399 

Dafins,  the,  274 

Dahomey,  32,  33,96,289,  290,  331, 
358,  399,  474,  496 

Dakar,  21,  25,  87 

Darnels,  23 

Da7itec^  The,  52,  95,  99,  156,  188, 
254-256,  260,  357,  463,  465,  468, 
469,  492,  494 

Davoust,  Naval  Lieutenant,  7,  10, 
34,427,439,495,  510 

Dmioust,  The,  11,  13,  21,  23,  28,  29, 
34,  38,41,44,  59,60,65,93,99, 
112,  117,  146,  149,  156,  178,  193, 
194,250,  255,256,  259,  263,  277, 
300,  306,  370,  459,  465,  469,  494, 

495 
Day,  93 
De,  367 
Debo,  Lake,  74,  78,  140,  298,  334, 

405 
De  Brazza,  482 

Decoeur,  32,  33,  286,  358,  423,  436 
Delcasse,  M.,6,  7,  10 
Dendi,  317,  377,  404,  406,  409,  411, 

413,  414,  417,  419,  423,  446 
Dendikobes,  the,  377 
Dentchendu,  385,  391,  421 
Dergona,  179,  180,  181 
Desa,  268 
Desbordes,  500 

Destenaves,  Captain,  34,  39,  65,  66 
Diafara,  373 
Diamu,  97,  337 
Diena,  35 
Digui  or  Samba  Amadi,  39,  41,  95, 

197,  255,  256,  259-261,  264,  267, 

275,317,  318,329,369,  376,  381, 

399,  407,  442,  454,  459,  460,  462, 

463,  465,  467,  486,  496 
Diko,  153 
Diubeba,  42,  507 
Diulas,  the,  330 
Djamarata,  368,  379 


jDjanaru,  316 

;  Djerma,  385-389,  42 1 

i  Djermakoy,  384,  385,  421 

j  Djermankobes,  298,  313,  325 

Djidjima,  442 

Djitafe,  81 

Djula,  375 

Dodds,  General,  358 

Dongoe,  148,  149,  218 

Dori,  65,  66,  243,  312,  368,  373 

Dosso,  389 

Drew,  Mr.,  474,  475,  481,  485,  486, 
490 

Duentza,  312 

Dunga,  280-284,  300,  312,  382,  387, 

397 
Dungu,  313,  315 
Duveyrier,   197,  201,  243-245,  248, 

504,  505 

Ebener,  Colonel,  33 

Eguedeche,  145,  146 

El  Abaker,  208 

El  Hadj  Omar,  75,  76,  79,  129,  313, 

314,  316,  386,  397 
El  Khotab,  154,  168,  170,  240 
El  Mekki,  182,  183,  186,  270,  271 
El  Sirat,  272 
El  Waghdu,  124 
El  Yacin,  178,  219 
Emir  el  Munemin,  308,  314 
Emir  Ikenukhen,  244,  504,  505 

Fabu,  67 

Fafa,  194,  197,  250,  379 

Faguibine,  Lake,  33 

Faidherbe,    General,   17,  24,   352, 

500 
Fandu,  314,  316 
Fanta,  380 

Farca,  268,  270,  272,  273 
Farimake,  372 
Fatimata  Azzer'a,  237 
Faure,  Felix,  President,  176 
Festing,  Major,  474-477,  481,  482, 

487,  490 
Fily  or  Fill   Kante,  97,  304,  333, 

337,  340,  469,  480 
Fituka,  316 

Flatters,  114,  I45,  244,  39 1 
Flint,  Mr.,  490 
Fogue,  443 

Fonssagrives,  458,  474 
Footah,  66,  280,  352 


5i6 


INDEX 


Forcades^  The^  495 

Forcados,  492,  495 

Forgo,  164 

Fort  Archinard,  39,  298,  302,  306, 

317,  320-325,  332-337,  339,  344, 

348,  356,  360,  371,  387,  392,  398- 

400,  403,  508 
Fort      Arenberg     or     Taubman- 

Goldie,  470,  471,  473 
Fort  Goree,  21 
Froger,  Naval- Ensign,  7 
Fulahs  or  Peuls,  the,  3,  65,  75,  78, 

129,  166,  181,  194,  202,  251,  271, 

280,309,312,314,316,325,351, 
352,  359,  362,  363,  368,  379,  386, 
394,  396,  408,  422,  436,  454 
Futanis,  the,  406,  408,  411,  426 
Futankes,  the,  282,  290,  385,  406 

Gaberos,  the,   181,  315,  316,  382, 

384 
Gabibi,  the,  216 
Gagno,  422 
Galan,  496 

Gallieni,  Colonel,  67,  284,  500 
Gambia,  the,  6 
Gando,  428,  429,  438,  454 
Gao  or   Garo,   165-167,  268,  279, 

506,  507 
Gao-Wady,  242,  243 
Garafiri,  462,  467 
Garama,  166 
Garamantes,  the,  166 
Gardio,  140 
Garnier,  Francis,  511 
Gauthiot,  M.,  36,  37,  170 
Geba,  471-476,  481,  486 
Geigelia,  93 
Gheres,  237 
Gherinecha,  237,  238 
Gilua,  439 

Giraudon,  M.  de,  352 
Girris,  427-429,  435 
Gober  or  Sinder,  207,  313,  507 
Gomba,  433,  436,  437 
Goruberi,  411,  414,  420,  424 
Gorubi,  412 
Gourma,  316,  317,  328 
Grodet,  M.,  20,  28,  32,  289 
Grunner,  Dr.,  428,  438 
Guadjibo  or  Badjibo,  470,  471,  473, 

476, 
Guinina,  67 
Gumba,  405 


j  Gundam,  129 
Gungi,  134,  136,  140 
Gimi,  62 

Gurao,  74,  -j-],  334 
Gurienisi,  the,  325 
Gurma,  354,  366,  387 

Ha,  163 

Habes,  the,  367 

Habibulaye,  78,  80,  81 

Hacquart,  Father,  83,  87,  94,  97, 
103,  107,  118,  136,  145,  156-158, 
172-174,  258,  272,  278,  279,  283, 
290,  303,  324,  338,  340,  341,  351, 
398,  427,430,  432,  510 

Hadji  Hamet,  427,  428,  430,  432, 

435 
Hamadi,  80,  87,  89 
Hamda-Allahi,  76,  78,  314,  365 
Hameit,  a  sheriff,  104,  135,  140 
Hamma  Tansa,  392 
Hanotaux,  Commandant,  228 
Haussa,  222,  325,  381,  395,   411, 

429,  430,  439,  482 
Hoggars,the,  81,  114,  136,  144-146, 

231,  244-246 
Hombori,  367,  373 
Hugo,  282-284,  393 

Ibnu,  118,  119 

Ibrahim,  155,  161,  397 

Ibrahim  Bubakar,  342 

Ibrahim  Galadio,288,  312-314,  351, 

360,  362-367,371,  372,  382 
Idris,  192,  194 
Ifoghas,  the,  190,  192,  241 
Igga,  440,  454,  479,  485 
Ig-harghar,  243 
Igwadaren,  the,  91,  104,  106,  116- 

135,  142-145,  148,  209,  217,  240 
Ihaggaren,  the,  144,  215,  225,  227, 

230,  231,  240,  249 
Ikum,  440 

Ilo,  426,  430,  431,  434-437,  474 
loraghen,  the,  129 
Iregnaten,  the,  129 
Issa,  434 
Issa-Ber,  33 

Jenne,  52,  73,  96,  352 
Jesero,  438 
Joffre,  Colonel,  33 
Joliba  or  Upper  Niger,  5 
Jouenne,  Dr.,  8 


INDEX 


517 


Kabara,  81,  83,  90,  91,  93,  102,  121 
Kagha,  90,  100,  107,  108,  174 
Kaheide,  30 
Kale,  392 

Kambaris,  the,  440 
Kandji,  462 
Kardieba,  127,  148 
Karma,  281,  282,  313,  414 
Karii,  251,  257 

Kayes,  27,  30,  38,  39,  41,  49,  73, 
476,  500 


103,  105,  106,  140,  141,  146,  152, 

172,  177 
Kurteyes,  the,   181,  268,  271,  274, 

278,  282,  316,  326,  382,  393,  425, 

434,  435 
Kutkuole,  282 
Kutungu,  265 

Labezenga,  193,  252,  257,  260,  261, 

264,  370,  406 
Lamothe,  M.  de,  23,  I'j 


Kebbi,  317,  377,  409,  411,  413,  439  I  Lander,  Richard,  472 


Kel  Ahara,  the,  238,  240,  241 

Kel  Air,  the,  168,  177,  180 

Kel  Antassar,  the,  33,    103,    118, 

125 
Kel  Avis,  the,  192 
Kel  Es  Suk,  the,    104,   121,   136, 

162,  182-186,  207,  208,  217,  269, 

270 
Kel   Gheres,    the,   231,   237,   243, 

246,  282 
Kel  Gossi,  the,  100,  loi,  107,  241 
Kel  Kumeden,  the,  238,  240,  241 
Kel  Owi,  the,  122,  142,  143 
Kel  Tedjiuane,  the,  238,  240,  241 
Kel  Temulai,  the,  102,  104,  106- 

iio,  114,  173,  209,  375 
Kendadji,  265,  438 
Kibtachi,  296,  313,  381-384,  403, 

405 
Kieka-Sanke,  62-64 
Kisira,  445 

Kita,  9,  50,  51,  54,408 
Koa,  100 
Kokoro,  276 
Kolikoro,  8,   12,  22,  52-59,  62,  63, 

73 
Koly  Mody,  373 
Kompa,    282,    405-408,   411,    417, 

420,  424 
Kongu,  124 
Konnari,  394 
Konotasi,  462,  467 
Koridjuga,  62 
Koriome,  8,  81 
Koyraberos,    the,    306,    309,    311, 

323,  324,  361,  381,  508 
Kpatachi,  462 
Kuka,  491 
Kunari,  373 
Kundji,  43S 
Kiinta,  108 
Kuntas,  the,    'j'],  81,  87-91,    100- 


Lankafu,  438 

Laperrine,  Captain,  145 

Larba,  312 

Lat-Dior,  23 

Lavigerie,  Mgr.,  84 

Leba,  453,  456,  457,  470,  471,  473, 

476 
Lefort,  Sub-lieutenant,  8 
Lemta  or  Lemtuma,  204,  240 
Liptako,  372 
Logomaten,  the,  218,  242,  252,  270, 

312 
Lokodja,  344,  473,  475,  479,  480- 

485,  488 

M'Pal,  23 

Ma,  55,  56 

Mabrok,  90 

Madani,  292 

Madecali,  420,  423-426,  434 

Mademba  Seye,  66-69,  l^->  Th 

Madidu,  Chief  of  the  Awellimiden, 
104-107,  136,  154,  155,  164-168, 
170-180,  183,  192,  194-196,  217, 
219,  240,  247,  265,  266,  271,  277, 
286,  312,  368,  372,  382,  387,  426 

Madunia,  102,  112 

Mage^  The,  9,  10,  74 

Malet,  Sir  Edward,  10,  413 

Malinke,  the,  54 

Malo,  277 

Mamadu,  97 

Mame,  96,  97,   109,  259,  260,  263, 

434 
Manambugu,  8,  9,  52 
Mandao,  Osmane,  17,  26 
Marchand,  36,  38 
Marka,  274 
Massala,  56 
Massenya,  i 
Massina,  8,  280,  312,  314,  316,  353, 

367,371,372,386,394,405 


5i8 


INDEX 


Matam,  30 

Matar  Samba,  87,  95 

Mattei,    Commandant,    483,    484, 

488  ' 
Mauri,  313,  377,  4i3 
Maussinissa,  202 
Milali,  107 
Mizon,  451,  470,  483 
Modibo  Konna,  394,  396,  397 
Mohamed  Askia,  165 
Mohamed  ben  Eddain,  208 
Mohamed  Did  Mbirikat,  118,  121- 

123,  127,  130,  134,  136,  140 
Mohammed     ben    Abdallah,     88, 

201 
Mohammed  Djebbo,  385 
Monteil,  Colonel,  6,  7,  11,  17^  285, 

360,  412,  413,421 
Mopti,  34,  140,  386,  394,  405 
Mores,  474 

Mor?iing  Star,  The,  472 
Morocco,  144,  204,  208,  209,  216 
Mosi,  216 
Mossi,  39,  65,  66,  316,  325,  353, 

354,  373,  375,  377-379 
Mount  Davoust,  440 
Mount  Delagarde,  440 
Mount  Kolikoro,  56,  57 
Mount  Tondibi,  163 
Moyadikoira,  147 
Mumi,  386,  387 
Mungo    Park,   5,    6,   9,    165,  439, 

5CX) 
Mussa,  97,  337 
Mycenae,  118 

Naba  of  Wagadugu,  378 
Nabi  Mussa  or  Mises,  375 
Namantugu  Mame,  412 
Neschrun,  185,  186 
Ngiti-Sokoto,  the,  243 
Ngouna,  33 

Ngubi-Sokoto,  the,  437 
N'Guna,  103,  105 
Niger,  the,  2,  5-14,   17,   18,  22,  23, 

32,  33,  36-39,  42,  44,  52,  54,  56, 
72-74,  78,  82,  84,  94,  96,  99,  lOI, 
105,  116,  128,  129,  142,  146,  152, 
157,  160,  163,  165-168,  176,  182, 
185,  191,  193,  202,  209,  210,  242, 
243,  262,  263,  269,  271,  273,  279, 
281,  289,  290,  294,  295,  298,  314, 
334,  344,  350,  353,  368,  386,  393, 
404,  405-408,  411-415,  421,  440, 


453,  458,  460,  464,  470,  472,  477, 

483,  488,  492,  493,  495,  498,  499, 

504,  507,  508,  510 
Nii^rcr,  The,  9,  10,  74 
Nigotte,  Captain,  218 
Nigritia7i,  T/ie,  479 
Nikki,  474 
Nioro,  68,  100,  280,  282,  312,  313, 

316 
Niugui,  372 
Nuhu,  8 
Nupe,  477 
Niipc,  The,  490 

O Hilda,  The,  495 

Onitcha,  490 

Osman,  277,  306-308,  325,  327,  353, 

368,  376-378,  384-386,  389,  391 
Osterman,  59 

Othman  dan  Fodio,  78,  395 
Oursi  Beli,  243 

Patanis,  the,  452,  470,  491 

Pontoise,  298 

Porto  Novo,  495 

Port  Said,  484 

Prince  de  Polignac,  197 

Pullo  Sidibe  or  Khalifa,  306-308, 

351,  360,  363,  364,  368,  376,  382, 

386 

Rabba,  378,  476,  477 

R'abbas,  109,  112 

Raha,  436 

R'alif,  109,  112 

R'alli,  121-125,  138-140 

Regard,  Captain,  218 

Reichala,  daughter  of  Madidu,  219 

Rejou,  M.,  Commandant,  83,   89, 
90 

Re7ie  Cailhe,  The,  470 

Rhadames,  197,  244,  505 

Rhat,  207,  278 

Rhergo,  102,  107,  114,  116,  118,  119 
'  Ribago,  The,  479,  485,  487,  490 
[  Richardson,  505 

Rimaibes,  the,  316 
I  R'isa,  237 
I  Rocher,  M.  Du,  23 
1  Rufisque,  22 

Rupia,  440-442,  451 

Saga,  283,  328 

Sahara,  the,  8,  82,  136,  160,  204 


INDEX 


519 


Said,  89 

St.  Louis,  17,  22-27,  39,  67,  281,  352, 

496 
Sakhaui  or   Sarrawi,  90,  91,   104, 

116,  118,  131,  134,  138,  144,  14s 
Sakhib,  104,  126-128,  130,  131,  134, 

135,  147 
Saldd,  30 
Salla  Uld  Kara,  88,  104,  149-155, 

161 
Samba  Demba,  300,  337,  338,  468 
Samba  Laobe,  23,  319 
Samba  Smnare,  123 
Samory,  54,  67,  299,  301,  310,  313, 

314,  330,  33^,  377 
Sansanding,  66-69,  72-74,  87 
Sansan-Haussa,  191,  278,  306,  377 
Sarafere,  78 
Sarankeni,  331 
Sarayamo,  367 
Saredina,  74-76,  140,  141 
Sarracolais,  the,  27,  28,  96,  274,  300, 

316,  496, 
Satoni,  269,  270 
Sauzereau,  38,  39,  41,  59 
Say,  32,  74,  75,  96,  99,   174,   180, 

219,  240,  250,  274,  277,  280,  282, 

285,  289,  290,  293-297,  299,  300, 

306-308,  310-328,  333-335,  337, 

347,  351,  352,  356,358,  363,  365- 

369,  372,  375-378,  381,  384-390, 

397,  405,  406,  413,  422,  437,  439, 

474,  476,  479,  499,  508 
Seba,  450 
Sego,  37,  39,  52,  64,  66,  68,  78,  98, 

301,  312,  314 
Senegal,  the,  4,  6,  7,  17,  27,  44,  66, 

97,  274,  280,  316,  317,  334,  381, 

482,  496,  504,  507 
Senegambia,  23,  24 
Senussis,  the,  201 
Sergoe,  377,  388 
Serki  Kebbi,  378,  406,  409, 41 1-41 3, 

421 
Sidi  AUuata,  79,  80,  100-103,  107 
Sidibes,  the,  316,  361,  382-384 
Sidi  el  Amin,  146 
Sidi  Hamet,  89-91,  100,  117,  118, 

120-122,  127,  148,  149,  151,  153 
Sidi  Hamet  Beckay,  74-77,  79-81, 

88,  loi,  105,  121,  129,  140,  141, 

146,  153-155,  184 
Sidi  Moktar,  79,  105 
Sidi  Okha,  78 


Sikasso,  330 

Silla,  5 

Sillabes,  the,  274,  316,  382,  392 

Sinder,  180,  207,218,  266,  269,  272- 

275,  278,  283,  312,  316 
Skobelefif,  General,  262 
Sokkoto,  The,  483 
Sokoto,  75,  174,313,  372,  377,  395, 

412,  413,  484 
Somangoro,  54-57 
Songhay,    96,    109,    161,    163-166, 

182,  1 91 -1 94,  202,  208,  209,  216, 

217,  274,  306,  309,  312,  316,  324, 

325,  351,  354,  430 

Soninkes,  the,  54-56,  71,  100,  274 

Sorbo,  278,  281,  282 

Soule,  423-425 

Spahis,  the,  23,  319 

Stanley,  504 

Sudan,  the,  7,  14,  19,  22,  32,  37,  43, 
49,  50,  52,  67-69,79,  81,  82,  138, 
172,  201,  210,  213,  252,  273,  284, 
300,  336,  337,  345,  372,  411,  417, 
441,  505 

Sudan,  The,  475 

Sudan,  French,  6,  17,  34,  38,  42, 
44,  51,  -]-],  100,  126,  138,  210,  273, 

299,  373,451,488,489,  503 
Sudan,  Western,  76,  100,  165,  166, 

193,  406,  498 
Suleyman  Foutanke,  280,281,  290, 

323,  352,  357,  381,  399,  400,  416, 

430 
Suleyman  Gundiamu,  41,  95,  286, 

287,  292,  329,  331,  373,  397,  430, 

483 
Sultan  of  Fez,  208 
Sultan  of  Segu,  37,  SM 
Sundiata,  47,  54,  56 


Taburet,  Dr.,  38,  52,  58,  60,  %-],  94, 
97,  118,  123,  134,  135,  158,  277, 
278,  281,  290,  303,  327,  328,  332, 

333,  338,  348,  393,  416-419,  474, 

476,  484,  486,  510 
Tacubaos,  the,  218 
Taddemekka,  182,  207 
Tademeket,  the,  104,  131,  148,  152, 

154-158,  160-162,  168,  170,  201, 

241,  269 
Tahar,  121,  140 
Talibia,   296-298,    360,    379,    381, 

387,  388 


520 


INDEX 


Ta-MashegorTamschek,  109,  173, 
202,  220,  222,  226,  228,  229,  509 

Tankisso,  404 

Tarik,  203 

Tarka,  203 

Tarkai-Tamut,  203 

Tayoro,  394-39^ 

Tchad,  Lake,  28, 165,  247,  352,  372, 
507 

Tchakatchi,  438-440,  499 

Tedian  Diarra,  358 

Ten  da,  414-416,  420-424,  430,  447 

Tenger  Eguedeche,  the,  162-164, 
168,  170 

Tenguereguif,  the,  173,  209,  218 

Thies,  23 

Tieba,  330,  331 

Tille,  389 

Timbuktu,  7,  8,  32,  2>3,  41,  69,  72>, 
75,  78-84,  87-9T,  98,  102,  103, 
106,  1 14-120,  122,  126,  129,  130, 
134,  136,  138,  142,  148,  245,  273, 
279,  288,  309,  331,  335,  344,  351, 
352,  368,  369,  427,  473,  495,  498, 

499,  507 

Tinalschiden,  149 

Tintellust,  207 

Tioko,  372 

Togoland,  428 

Tolimandio,  52 

Tombuttu,  423,  424 

Torodi,  312,  313,315,  382,  384 

Toron,  54 

Tosaye  or  Sala  Koira,  88,  89,  104, 
128,  131,  148-153,  158,  162,  201, 
219 

Toucouleurs,  the,  3,  8,  41,  62,  63, 
66,  67,  73,  75,  76,  79,  105,  129, 
130,  140,  152,  209,  218,  271,  279- 
282,  284,  285,  287-290,  299,  304, 
312-314,  360,  382,  384,  386-393, 

397,405,411,414,417,419,423 
Toutee,  Captain,  266,  269,  272,  273, 

278,  282,  286,  290,  447,  457,  470 
Towdeyni,  83 


Trentinian,  Colonel  de,  34,  38,  138 

Tripoli,  216,  505 

Tuaregs,  the,  8,  18,  33,  37,  65,  75, 
78-80,  84,  88,  89,  98,  100,  loi, 
104,  106,  108,  114,  1 19-134,  138, 
142,  144,  149-178,  182,  189- 
194,  197,  199-249,  251,  256,  257, 
266,  269,  270-273,  275,  283,  307, 
312,  315,351,  368,372,379,383, 
388,  394,  397,  434,  470,  505-506, 
509 

Tuat,  78,  79,  81,  88,  216,  310 

Tumar^,  268 

Ubangi,  the,  1 1 
Uro  Galadio,  37 

Vermesch,  285 
Vinet-Laprade,  24 

Wadalen,  the,  242 

Wagadugu,  373,  375 

Wagniaka,  372,  394 

Wagobes,  the,  269,  270,  272,  274, 

316,  377 
Walalde,  30 
Wali,  48 
Wallace,  Mr.,  474,  475,  479,  480, 

485,  490 
Wari,  12,  491-494 
Watagunu,  251 
Weme,  the,  358 
Wolof,  96,  280,  282,  320 

Yakare,  71 

Yangbassu,  458 

Yauri,  377,  439 

Yemen,  78 

Yoba,  368 

Yola,  479,  482 

Yuli,  382 

Yunes,  104,  156,  219 

Y'usuf  Osman,  281,  282 

Zarhoi,   122,  126,  139,  144 


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